The large and diverse continent of Africa has a lot to offer the right kind of person, yet is often seen as too much of a challenge by educated talent and skilled labor. While it’s true that political instability and poverty do trouble much of the continent, there are also many safe and affluent regions that offer opportunity for talent. Let’s explore the value of working in Africa more by discussing these challenging opportunities.
Promising Signs in Africa
With 1.1 billion people living in 54 different countries, Africa is a large and diverse continent with a lot of opportunities, especially for educated talent and skilled labor. According to Wikipedia,
“In March 2013, Africa was identified as the world’s poorest inhabited continent; however, the World Bank expects that most African countries will reach ‘middle income’ status by 2025 if current growth rates continue.
…In 2013, Africa was the world’s fastest-growing continent at 5.6% a year, and GDP is expected to rise by an average of over 6% a year between 2013 and 2023.”
Africa is rich with resources for energy and mining industries to draw from, yet a lack of infrastructure, leadership, and skilled labor holds them back. Other large industries with potential are: agriculture, manufacturing, banking, and investing.
Countries in Africa with the Most Potential for Talent
While there’s opportunity for foreign and domestic talent to work throughout Africa, not all countries offer the same type of security and standard of living. We learn more from an article found on Business Tech, called:“South Africa salaries versus the world”, written on March 27th, 2015, which gives us a list of the top 10 highest disposable incomes in Africa and their rank in the world:
#32 Angola $2650#48 Gabon $1742#56 South Africa $1400#57 Mauritius $1337#63 Malawi $1098#69 Lesotho $1017#81 Swaziland $786#85 Mozambique $757#87 Nigeria $731#97 Sudan $650
Compare these to the US at $3,258. Looking at certain professions, we learn from PayScale.com that talent can expect these sort of average salaries (estimated with exchange rates at current 13.81 with South Africa Rand and US dollar):
- Electrician R224,919 ($16,286)
- Operations Manager R303,117 ($21,949)
- Registered Nurse R212,560 ($15,391)
To put these salaries in perspective, we learn from Numbeo.com:
“Cost of living in South Africa is 42.65% lower than in the United States (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in South Africa is 58.64% lower than in United States (average data for all cities).”
Basically, salaries for skilled labor are competitive with more developed continents, even more so when considering how much lower the overall living expenses are in Africa. Also, foreign talent can expect to make on the higher end of any professional salary average, especially, when filling positions in high demand industries, such as: medical, IT, educational, financial, engineering, and managerial.
The Challenging Opportunity
Educated talent and skilled labor are in high demand throughout all of Africa. Most foreign talent come from expats and employees of multi-national corporations located throughout Africa. The regions most desirable for foreigners are South and West Africa; Sub-Sahara and East Africa are the least desirable for foreigners, yet have a great need for specialized talent.
Where there are challenges there’s opportunity — this is the main story of the African continent. While many countries are suffering from high crime and poverty, much of this is because of political instability, a lack of infrastructure and leadership. Yet, still, the potential Africa has is great, as it has a wealth of natural resources and a large unskilled labor force.
For the right type of talent, Africa presents a challenging opportunity for them to grow and expand their careers. The beautiful geography, natural wonders, and diverse cultures – all offer unique lifestyle benefits, as well as an opportunity for them to offer their talents and skills to a continent that will appreciate their efforts.
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