Africa supplies the world’s remote workforce

By Bonface ORUCHO

When power flickers in Eldoret, some 311 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, Christopher Kirui reaches for his backup inverter before his screen goes dark. The 27-year-old web developer works remotely for a software company in Amsterdam, a role that has tripled his income in just two years.

“Remote work changed everything for me,” he shared in a call, adjusting a pair of headphones that connect him to his team half a world away. “But I still buy my own uptime.”

His situation mirrors a continent-wide transformation. A new Rayda/FORWA survey, released in September 2025, finds that 93% of global employers plan to increase hiring from Africa over the next year, with half describing their expansion as significant.

The report polled 1,006 remote workers across six focus countries, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, and Ghana, and surveyed 67 employers. The research also included 15 detailed interviews with hiring managers, CEOs, and HR leaders, as well as 25 in-depth interviews with remote workers. Data were collected between January and March 2025.

Employers surveyed are primarily headquartered in North America and Europe, led by the United States (57%), the United Kingdom (24%), Germany (9.3%), the Netherlands (3.1%), Canada (2.6%), Australia (2.3%), and France (1.7%). Startups made up 57% of respondents, while company sizes ranged from small teams to enterprises with more than 1,000 employees.

The report describes Africa as the next frontier of distributed hiring, where a digitally native generation is powering global teams from bedrooms, co-working spaces, and cafes. According to Francis Osifo, co-founder and CEO of Rayda, “the future of work is being written today, and Africa is emerging as one of its most compelling chapters.”

“Talent knows no boundaries,” he says, “and employers who approach African hiring with strategic focus build inclusive, resilient organisations designed for the future.”

Across the continent, the numbers are striking. Software development leads the demand curve, cited by 48.3% of surveyed employers as their top hiring priority, followed by UI/UX design at 41.7% and data science at 21%.

The hiring boom has a clear geography. Lagos accounts for roughly 36.7% of all placements, followed by Nairobi at 18.4%, Accra at 9.2%, Johannesburg at 7.1%, and Cairo at 6.1%. These hubs now act as continental gateways for international contracts.

Regional contrasts are also emerging. West Africa, led by Nigeria and Ghana, dominates software and product design; East Africa, anchored by Kenya and Rwanda, leads in fintech and mobile innovation; Southern Africa contributes experience in finance and business process outsourcing; and North Africa brings multilingual engineering and proximity to European markets.

“Those differences,” the report argues, “should guide employer strategies. “A company hiring back-end engineers may look to Lagos or Accra, while firms seeking French-Arabic support will find Cairo and Tunis attractive.”

On income, the benefits are tangible. About 43% of remote workers earn between US$1,000 and US$2,000 per month, 18% earn US$2,000 to US$3,000, and 14% earn above US$3,000, often multiples of local market pay. The report also shows salary ranges by experience level: junior roles commonly pay between US$500 and US$1,000, intermediate roles US$1,000 to US$2,000, and senior positions US$3,000 to US$7,000, depending on the employer and role complexity.

For Kirui, the gap feels transformative. “My peers in local firms earn a third of what I make,” he says. “But my electricity, internet, and workspace all come out of pocket.”

That last point is where optimism meets friction. The Rayda/FORWA study shows power reliability remains the single biggest challenge, flagged by 36.7% of respondents, with 42% relying on fuel generators and 35% maintaining solar or inverter setups to stay online.

These self-funded systems cost workers between US$100 and US$200 monthly, according to the survey, expenses that erode the apparent wage premium and reinforce inequality between those who can afford stability and those who cannot.

A Lagos-based software developer interviewed in the report said he runs dual internet and power backup systems that cost about $150 a month, but it’s worth it for reliability. Employers, for their part, increasingly see the issue as a productivity investment. One HR director interviewed said their company provides internet and power stipends, which have significantly reduced downtime.

“It’s a small investment that pays dividends,” the director noted.

The speed of hiring reflects growing confidence in African talent. 39% of employers report closing hires within one to two weeks, and 15% in under a week, a pace that underscores both efficiency and competitive urgency in global recruitment.

On a sectoral basis, technology accounts for 43% of all remote roles, followed by finance at 18% and consulting at 12%. The mix shows that remote work is no longer limited to entry-level outsourcing; it increasingly spans core product, analytical, and strategic functions.

Another layer is AI-driven transformation. About 86% of employers believe artificial intelligence will reshape certain roles, while 63% of workers are actively taking AI-related courses to stay competitive. This alignment between employer expectations and worker initiative signals a maturing labour market and a workforce preparing for higher-value roles.

Yet, the survey also exposes uneven benefits. Men make up roughly two-thirds of Africa’s remote-work talent pool, pointing to a persistent gender gap in access to digital skills and opportunities. The report urges governments and training programmes to design deliberate pipelines for women in tech and creative industries.

The macro picture is clear: Africa has moved from an emerging to a preferred source of remote talent. But the continent’s infrastructure, policy, and payment systems have not kept pace with the speed of digital integration.

Cross-border payment delays, exchange-rate volatility, and unclear tax obligations still frustrate both employers and workers. For freelancers and contractors, inconsistent access to global payment platforms remains a structural barrier.

This is where the story moves from individual resilience to institutional responsibility. The report recommends three interventions: expand reliable power and broadband, harmonise cross-border tax and compliance rules, and integrate remote-work training into national digital strategies.

Implemented at scale, these steps would turn Africa’s talent boom into a sustained engine for inclusive growth rather than a short-term cost advantage for foreign employers.

Some firms are already experimenting with this model. A Kenyan fintech quoted in the study funds shared work pods equipped with solar and high-speed connections for its developers in Eldoret, Kisumu, and Nakuru. A Nigerian design agency pays a fixed monthly infrastructure allowance instead of project-based bonuses.

Both cases demonstrate that structural support can enhance retention and output. “They’re small examples,” the report notes, “but they show what inclusive hiring looks like when it’s done with long-term intent.”

For policymakers, the implications extend beyond employment. A robust remote-work ecosystem contributes to foreign-exchange earnings, skills transfer, and domestic consumption, all while reducing migration pressures on young professionals.

“Governments,” Osifo argues, “should view remote work as part of their export strategy, exporting skills, not just goods.” That framing positions Africa as an active participant in shaping global work patterns rather than a passive labour pool.

Back in Eldoret, Kirui logs off after a standard ten-hour day, and the hum of his inverter fades into the night. He dreams of starting his own design studio one day, hiring other young coders across small Kenyan towns.

“I just need power that doesn’t blink,” he says. “Then we’ll really compete.”