How to Build and Retain Remote Engineering Teams in Africa

What if the future of global tech isn’t in Silicon Valley but in cities like Accra and Nairobi? This is just to say that remote work in Africa is often assumed wrongly. When some companies in the diaspora scout for African Engineers, they assume it’s a trade-off and an opportunity to get cheap labour (lower costs for lower quality). Others worry about commitments, considering the possibility of a talent juggling up to 5 gigs or ghosting projects.

For businesses, before highlighting some of our effective tips for attracting and retaining engineering teams, let’s take a moment to share how our talents suffer an unfair advantage. African talents are not a bargain, as they code with contexts. A developer here would write thousands of lines of code for a fintech app while considering their neighbour, who relies on mobile money because the banks are miles away. Same way that a data scientist will train AI models to recognize local and regional dialects and slangs, not textbook English. This expertise is rooted in solving real-world problems, which is what global teams need to build inclusive, scalable products.

While a senior software engineer in Lagos may spend half of their salary on a backup generator and high internet speed, the recruiters in Toronto or Madrid will offer triple the pay and other shiny perks.

Pay Fairly

Salaries are important, but retaining talent hinges on addressing hidden costs. Cover expenses like co-work space, internet bundles, software premiums, etc. A Danish company, Bluestone, partnered with Ghanaian Telco operators to deploy solar-powered hotspots in rural and urban areas, including Accra. These hubs provide affordable internet access to professionals and businesses. If local companies can invest in this infrastructure, many talents may reconsider poaching from global companies.

Prioritize growth

Many engineers out of Africa upskill through free online courses, hackathons, or community engagements. Yet companies treat them as task executors, not necessarily professionals who are hungry to grow. But how about, as a business, you focus on funding certifications, host workshops with global experts, or carve out time for upskilling? When people see a bright future with your team, they invest their effort.

Flexibility is a non-negotiable

Mandating an engineer out of Cairo to align with New York hours ignores the reality we face each day. Let teams set core hours that overlap with the company’s, but trust them to manage their days. An Engineer once said, “My last client demanded midnight meetings, so I left for another role that respected my vibe, and my output doubled.”

Create Connections

Remote work can feel isolating, especially for engineers balancing family or other engagements or unreliable infrastructure. As a business, build a community through virtual coffee chats, peer mentoring, and celebrating wins on the team. Highlight contributions made in the company updates/standups, not as “our Africa team," but as individuals shaping your products. Encourage the team to participate in existing communities where they can network and meet people who can possibly support them on their growth journey.

Work without borders

We see some talented engineers who leave their employment because they feel stagnant. But what if we encourage working globally without relocating? How about we push for policies like the Pan-African remote visas or as local and global companies that have the resources to sponsor quarterly meetups somewhere in Europe or North America? Just to support these talents in growing without sacrificing their roots.

Tap into the Local Communities

Africa's tech talents are mostly clustered in local communities on WhatsApp or hubs like CcHub in Lagos, iHub in Nairobi, Norrsken in Kigali, RiseUp in Cairo, etc. These spaces are breeding grounds for collaboration, mentorship and skills development. Startups can enter into a partnership to scout talents, co-host hackathons (which some are already doing), or even sponsor training programs.

Companies like SAP have tapped into hubs like Rwanda's kLab to train developers in cutting-edge technologies, while startups like AgriLedger recruit some of these engineers to Blockchain solutions for Agriculture. Similarly, platforms like Gebeya and Angela have been connecting global firms with pre-vetted engineers across Africa. But the key message here is to not just extract value and drain the pool but also contribute. Fund local tech events, offer free workshops and bootcamps, and mentor startups.

Bridging the Trust Gap

As a startup, you may ask, " How do we know they'll stay?” The answer is in how they are treated!
One startup lost three engineers in six months after dismissing their request for better laptops to improve efficiency. Another founder always demanded “high turnover,” while the company offered no health benefits or clear career paths for growth.

Trust works both ways, just like mentoring. As you build and manage your engineering teams, involve them in roadmap decisions, share the company's long-term goals, and, more importantly, listen when blockers are flagged on the team. As we say in our local parlance, “We grind for people who grind for us.”

Building remote engineering teams in Africa is very strategic. The next billion users will only be reached by teams solving real problems and understanding kerosine-lit markets, WhatsApp-driven commerce and communities where tech is a survival. To harness the talent pool in this part of the world, businesses need to meet them where they are, and this is not just geographically but financially, culturally, and professionally.