Category: Non classé

Talent2africa > Blog (EN) > Non classé
17Apr

Remote Work, Flexibility, Urban Mobility: A Trio to Reinvent

Traffic congestion, transport costs, and physical and mental exhaustion: in many African cities, transportation conditions have become a major obstacle to productivity and employee engagement. Remote work, once seen as a luxury reserved for large multinational companies, is now a practical and accessible solution.

1. Why Remote Work is Becoming Vital in Francophone Africa

In cities like Abidjan, Dakar, Douala, or Conakry, daily commute times often exceed 2 hours.

This logistical stress leads to chronic fatigue, progressive disengagement, and a decline in performance.

Today, access to remote work is a strong expectation among young professionals and technical profiles, even outside the major capitals.

2. 3 Hybrid Models Adapted to African Realities

  • 2 days in the office, 3 days remote: ideal for autonomous roles (e.g., accounting, marketing, tech support), with weekly team check-ins.
  • 4 days in the office, 1 day remote: perfect for companies looking to test the model gradually without disrupting their logistics.
  • 5 days in the office, 5 days remote, alternating weeks: useful for employees living far away or in secondary cities, while maintaining strong team bonding.

3. Management Tools to Keep Control

  • Set up weekly performance indicators.
  • Implement managerial rituals: Monday check-ins, Friday reviews, written feedback.
  • Use simple tools: Google Workspace, Trello, WhatsApp Pro, Notion.

👉 Check out this Talent2Africa Guide – Organizing Remote Work Without Losing Control.

Talent2Africa Guide – Organizing Remote Work Without Losing Control

In many African cities, urban congestion, transport costs, and fatigue from daily commutes are pushing more and more employees to demand more flexible working arrangements. Remote work is no longer a privilege: it’s a performance and well-being tool, provided it is well-managed.

1. Define a Clear, Adapted Framework for Your Company

Objective: Avoid improvisation and internal tensions.

  • Create a telecommuting charter in collaboration with managers and HR.
  • Specify eligibility criteria (autonomous roles, available tools, level of responsibility).
  • Clarify telecommuting days/rates based on roles.
  • Formalize responsibilities for everyone (employee, manager, HR).

2. Choose the Right Hybrid Model

Objective: Adapt the remote work rhythm to the actual needs of the company and local realities.

  • 2/3 Model: two days in the office, three remote.
  • 4/1 Model: four days on-site, one remote.
  • 5/5 Alternating Model: one week remote, the next week in the office.

Tip: Start with a pilot period of 2 months before formalizing the model.

3. Properly Equip Employees

Objective: Ensure the minimum material conditions for remote performance.

  • Provide stable internet access (subsidy or professional plan).
  • Equip employees with reliable devices (computers, headsets, tools).
  • Ensure cybersecurity for data and connections.

4. Set Up Simple Follow-up and Communication Tools

Objective: Maintain performance, engagement, and transparency.

  • Use accessible and familiar tools: Google Workspace, Trello, WhatsApp Business.
  • Establish collective routines: weekly team check-ins, priority reviews, light reporting.
  • Set up remote work KPIs: results, deadline compliance, interactions.

5. Train Managers in Hybrid Management

Objective: Avoid frustrations and foster adapted leadership.

  • Create a results-driven culture instead of control.
  • Train in time management and constructive feedback at a distance.
  • Encourage managers to maintain the human connection: one-on-one calls, recognition.

6. Measure the Impact and Adjust

Objective: Continuously evaluate and improve the system.

  • Conduct a quarterly review: productivity, well-being, deliverable quality.
  • Organize anonymous internal surveys.
  • Adjust the model based on feedback.

In Summary

Well-structured remote work is a performance booster and an attractiveness lever. Talent2Africa supports African companies in implementing modern HR policies that align with their local realities.

Need a personalized charter, manager training, or strategic support? Contact us: contact@talent2africa.com

18Mar

The 5 African countries where to invest in 2020

The year 2019 has ended on a hopeful note for Africa which is once again on the list of the areas with cost-efficient investment. This is at least what we can remember from the traditional annual report of the most attractive countries to invest in « Where to invest in Africa » initiated by the South African financial group Rand Merchant Bank. They have just published their 9th edition in which the focus is on the most attractive African countries where to invest in, in 2020. Usually in every edition, we find the same countries with the most appealing economies on the top ten. We will go over the list of cost-efficient countries in 2020.

  1. Egypt 

For the third consecutive year, Egypt can brag about being the most appealing economy in the 9th edition of that report. The country has the advantage of having an important demographic market and is still one of the most favorite places for investors. So according to the author of the report, “it’s the third year at the top of our ranking. For the past three years, Egypt has made significant strides in changing their business environment, improving external investment into the market and growing their own industries ». « They also took the difficult decision a few years ago to devalue their currency to be more reflective of what’s happening in the market. Even though these were tough decisions, in the long run it will help with structural changes in the economy. We are also expecting an approximate 5.3% growth rate for the next five years. This is well above the 4% average expected for the rest of Africa.”, they specified.

  1. Morocco

Morocco comes second after Egypt on the list of most cost-efficient countries for investment in 2020. The Sharif kingdom is currently developing and should record an average growth of 4% in the next coming years. “iIts reintegration into the African Union and accession to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have enhanced its investment appeal”, says the report.

  1. South Africa

South Africa falls down and trades places with Morocco. In the report the country settles for the third place with a “cyclical downturn”, “poor growth” and “a deteriorated business environment”. However, the country remains an economy with a liquid financial market compared to the other countries in the continent.

“It is definitely still the most liquid market in Africa. We’ve spoken to many international clients and South Africa is still the springboard for investment into Africa. But we have to see structural reforms being implemented, specifically at our state-owned enterprises. These changes can easily put us back into the number one spot over the next few years.” said Celeste Fauconnier.

 

  1. Kenya

Kenya joins the exclusive list of high cost-efficient countries in 2020. We expect a 5 percent middle term growth rate this year. The country has “favourable weather conditions”in a more pacified political environment”. The economy benefits from diversity as well as a sustained expansion in consumer demand. It also benefits from urbanisation, East African Community (EAC) integration, structural reforms and investment in infrastructure, including an oil pipeline, railways, ports etc.”

  1. Rwanda

Finally, Rwanda holds the 5th place on that selected report. The country was pushed by a very favorable business environment as mentioned in the last Doing Business. The report also praises the development of domestic industries and a high increase in FDI (foreign direct investment).

05Sep
développement de l’esprit d’équipe dans une entreprise

Team spirit development in Africa

Like we always say unity is strength. This saying happens to be also true within work relationships where a smart collaboration between team workers is key to the success of any project of any kind. A joined interaction between workers constitutes the basis of a better performance and a good environment in the company. Unfortunately not all managers have the luxury to work with a united team capable of collaborating in perfect harmony.

Team work obstacles within the company?

According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive/Apec published in the Capital, 22% of employees say that they don’t like working in teams. A mismatch of personalities, not knowing the skills that the other people have, and the belief that keeping an information to ourself is an asset, are the main obstacles that keep workers from working with each other. However it does not give an excuse to the manager to not do anything to make workers add the sense of team spirit to their values. There are many existing solutions to encourage teamwork in a company.

Make a example out of you thanks to your attitude

If you want to encourage team spirit in your company, as a manager you need to make an example out of yourself. You need to be able to create direct connections with your employees to make it easier to have good communication within the company. Creating direct connections with your team workers means being open-minded so much that it would be contagious. You can, for example, make it easier to have access to your office by letting the door open for discussions to show that you are available and you are all ears. Try not to keep yourself away from your employees. Show yourself by walking down the office for example. You should also insert in your planing a weekly get together with your colleagues to give them an opportunity to talk about how they feel and what is bothering them. This approach will allow you to show your employees the positive result of the transmission of an information.

Set up interconnection tools 

It’s not about the simple fact of telling your team workers about managing to create a good collaboration between them. Obviously, You will need to invest in technological means that will make it easier for employees to share with each others. It is therefore essential to set up tools and spaces for collaborative work. It will allow the employee to directly express his difficulties so he can get help from everybody.

Interconnection tools also allow for a team member to share a document he produced. The other members of the team will be able also to give their opinions and constructive criticism that would only help improving the performances. That way a genuine collaborative work would be set up.

Finally, if you want to boost the sense of teamwork with your coworkers, find a grading system based on the collective and not on the individual. It is more relevant knowing that the individual score does not really help the collaborative work. Hence, setting up collective criterion will highly encourage the team spirit.

Either way, you must keep in mind that the cultivation of the sense of team spirit in a company is not an easy task and is something that is done on a daily basis. It is a tremendous load of work.

You can also read How to negotiate salary?

22Aug

Resume writing: when your interests become crucial for the recruiter

If you have any type of interest in recruitment process, you should know by now that a lot have changed. The birth of a new paradigm. One that values or takes into consideration some aspects of the life of the candidate, something that never mattered before. The same is happening with non professional competence that became not only essential but also very important part of the resume of the candidate.

Lots of companies admit that they are looking for people with personality. And that is something that just can’t work with a recruitment model that only relies on skills and diplomas. Apart from what you can do, what you actually are represents an important information for your employer nowadays.

This rather new approach means that recruiters will not focus solely on the diplomas anymore but also on the non professional skills. Which simply means that the “interests” section on your resume is crucial because it says a lot about your personality. 

You better not belittle that section, considered most of the time as a style clause, when you write your resume. Today, lots of companies actually commit to base their judgement on non professional skills.

Consequently, Allianz launched a general call among its 11.000 partners as a part of a campaign called “Allianz got talents”. The main goal of the executives of that company was to allow partners to see each other in an aspect different from the professional’s one. “More than 60 volunteers, writer, painter, photographer, singer, kite champion, acrobats shared their passion via the dedicated platform. It generated more than a thousand posts from excited staff members”, said Charlotte Guy-Duquesne, Allianz HR development Director, Talent and Diversity  Management.

Following a big internal consultation, Allianz noticed some big expectations in terms of workplace well being and social connection creation. It is mostly why the initiative was launched.

In any case, we can’t help but notice that a great number of companies have based their recruiting process on non professional skills.” Technical and professional skills are still very important however it is your attitude and your soft skills that sets you apart”, added Charlotte Guy-Duquesne.

The “interests” section that we can find in almost all resumes is something that matter for more and more of the recruiters looking to find talents but also authentic personalities.

Therefore the “interests” section  is no longer a formality but a way for recruiters to find abilities and qualities in candidates and also risk taking capacities, creative minds. So many qualities that could be beneficial to the company

.you can also read What type of diaspora talent is better to recruit?

31Jul
The inclusion of workers with disabilities in Africa: A major challenge to overcome…

The inclusion of workers with disabilities in Africa

The right for all citizens to work is something that is present in almost all the legislations in Africa however it remains an aspiration more than a reality. It is even more true for people with disabilities. They represent close to 1 billion people so 15% of the world population. Almost 80% of them are old enough to work but most of the time, unfortunately, they are deprived of the right to have a decent job.

Generally, individuals with disabilities tend to have a higher unemployment and economic inactivity rate that their non-disabled peers. In France for example, more than 500,000 people with disabilities are unemployed. That is two times more than the non-disabled population. In Africa, only 10% of children with disabilities go to school and 80% of the adults are unemployed. The majority of them are reduced to a life of poverty and discrimination. Women are even more affected by the issues related to equal opportunity at the workplace.

An urgent need to find the right solutions

Even though developed countries are more and more taking into consideration the professional integration of that specific vulnerable group represented by people with disabilities, in developing countries, however, it still remains a major challenge to overcome. In France for example, the European Disability Employment Week (EDEW) has been organized every year since 1997. Last year, the event took place from the 19th to the 22nd of November and aims at taking actions and raising awareness about the inclusion of workers with disabilities in companies. The EDEW focused its 22nd edition on the obstacles for women with disabilities to have access to employment.

The beginnings of solutions on a legislation level

It was required by law for companies to hire people with disabilities in an effort to overcome the challenges that come with their integration into the workplace. It is an obligation for all employers both public and private. In this respect, they are all in the obligation to report the number of employees benefiting from the obligation to hire disabled workers law known as OETH, included companies with less than 20 employees. However companies with less than 20 employees will remain exempt by the OETH. There could be hope for a decline of discrimination against people with disabilities if it is a guarantee that those measures will be taken effectively.

06May
Finance and Accounting: One of the most sought after profiles in Africa is …” is locked

Finance and Accounting Profiles in Africa

The industrial relocation, business creation, joint ventures, project development, etc., have transformed the African workplace and created considerable recruitment needs. Many companies in Africa suffer from the skill-gap in middle-top management, according to some…

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02May

Building confidence for job-seekers

For job-seekers, even when they combine skills and experience, thoughts and feelings like how will I find another job? How long will it take? Why my jobs applications are not successful, can have an…

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