Africa EOR
We employ your staff in any African country through a local entity — our own in many countries, a vetted partner in the rest — on a contract that fits that country’s labour code. You direct the work; we carry the employer obligations, the payroll and the filings.
What is included
Everything an employer in the country is responsible for, done in the local entity’s name.
- Employment contract to the local labour code, in the required language
- Registration of the employee for income tax, social security, pension and sector levies
- Monthly payroll in local currency, payslips, and statutory remittances on the local calendar
- Statutory leave: annual, sick, maternity and paternity, public holidays
- Mandatory insurances (workers’ compensation and equivalents) and any compulsory medical scheme
- Work-permit sponsorship for expatriate hires where the country allows the employer of record to sponsor
- Expense reimbursement, allowances and benefits administration
- Termination in line with local notice, severance and procedural-fairness rules
You choose the person, set the salary, direct the day-to-day and decide when it ends. We hold the employer obligations so that none of them become yours.
- Hiring decision and salaryYou
- Daily management and performanceYou
- Contract, registrations, payroll, filingsUs
- Insurance and permit sponsorshipUs
- Local termination law and processUs
How an African EOR hire works
Three parties, two contracts, one employer.
1 · You and us
A single service agreement covers every country. Each hire is added as a schedule with the role, the loaded monthly cost and the notice period.
2 · The local entity and your hire
An employment contract between the employee and our entity (or named partner) in that country, with the labour code’s terms built in.
3 · Every month
We run payroll on the local pay date, remit tax and social contributions on the local deadlines, and invoice you once for all countries.
What an employer owes, country by country
Six of the markets we are asked about most. The spread is the point: an all-in employer cost can be under 5% of salary in one country and over 20% next door.
| Country | Main employer contributions | Notable rules | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | UIF 1%, SDL 1%, COIDA (rate by sector); PAYE withheld | BCEA minimums; 21 consecutive days’ leave; TES rules after 3 months | ZAR |
| Nigeria | Pension 10%, NSITF 1%, ITF 1%, NHF; PAYE by state | Employee pension 8%; state-level tax authorities | NGN |
| Kenya | NSSF tiered, SHIF 2.75%, Housing Levy 1.5%; PAYE | Employee matches Housing Levy; NITA levy | KES |
| Egypt | Social insurance c. 18.75% employer | Employee c. 11%; fixed-term contracts common | EGP |
| Ghana | SSNIT 13% employer | Employee 5.5%; Tier 1–3 pension structure | GHS |
| Morocco | CNSS and AMO c. 21% employer | Employee c. 6.7%; CDD/CDI contract rules | MAD |
Indicative figures from published statutory rates as at September 2026; rates, caps and thresholds change and vary by sector and salary band. We confirm the exact loaded cost for the specific role and country before you sign.
About a week in our own-entity markets
- Scope the hireCountry, job title, salary, allowances, start date and where the person is now. We confirm the monthly cost with the assumptions written down.
- Contract issued and signedLocal-law contract in the required language, signed electronically by the employee and by the employing entity.
- Registrations and payrollTax number, social security, pension and levy registrations in the employee’s name; payroll configured in local currency.
- First dayThe employee starts work for you. One account manager stays the point of contact for you and the employee across every country.
Expatriate hires need a permit before they can start. Processing ranges from about three weeks in the fastest jurisdictions to several months in the slowest; some countries also require the employer to show a local-hiring plan.
- Documents gathered, application filedWeek 1
- Authority processingWeeks 2–12
- Approval, entry, local registrationOn approval
- Contract, payroll, start+5 days
EOR, or your own entity?
Both are good answers. Which one is right depends on headcount, horizon and how many countries you are talking about.
| Africa EOR | Own local entity | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first hire | 5–10 working days in our own-entity markets | 2–9 months: incorporation, tax and social registrations, bank account |
| Set-up work | None | Registrations, local directors or agents where required, minimum capital in some countries |
| Ongoing obligations | Ours | Annual returns, audits, corporate tax, monthly employer filings, in each country |
| Best for | 1–20 people per country; testing a market; multi-country teams | Larger local operations; invoicing local clients; licensed activities |
| Winding down | Statutory notice, and it is done | Deregistration can take a year or more |
| Moving between them | Employees transfer to your entity with service continuity where local law allows | — |
When you do incorporate, our payroll and PEO services carry your people across without a break.
Ready to hire in Africa
Tell us the country, the role, the salary and the start date. We come back within one working day with a loaded monthly cost and a realistic first day.
Get in touch
We reply within one working day.
Africa EOR questions?
Which countries do you cover?
All 54 African countries. In many of them we employ through our own registered entities; in the rest we work through vetted partners, named in your agreement, under our contract and our service standards. We tell you which applies to each country before you sign.
Is there a minimum term?
No. The service agreement runs month to month with a notice period matched to the employee’s local statutory notice. Fixed-term contracts are available where the role and the local law allow them.
Can we pay the employee in US dollars?
Salary is paid in local currency into a local account, as tax and exchange-control rules require in almost every African jurisdiction. You can fix the salary in USD terms and we convert at an agreed rate each month; you are invoiced in the currency you choose.
Who owns the intellectual property?
You do. The service agreement assigns it to you and the employment contract contains the matching IP and confidentiality clauses, drafted to be enforceable in that country.
How does termination work?
It follows the local labour code — notice periods, severance formulas and, in many countries, a procedural-fairness process that must be followed before dismissal. We run that process and calculate the final payment; you make the decision.
Can you employ someone who is not yet in the country?
Yes, once their work permit is approved. We sponsor the application where the country allows an employer of record to do so, and tell you upfront where it does not.