Getting paid from French-speaking Africa

Payoneer

Dollar and euro account; receives payments from Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, Clickworker…; withdrawal to a local bank, and a Mastercard in some countries

• Countries and limits: Available in most African countries; local bank withdrawal in many; referral: bonus once the referred user has received $1,000
• Fees: About 2% on withdrawal in local currency; annual card fee

Wise

Multi-currency account, receives USD, EUR, GBP; transfers to a bank or mobile money in several countries

• Countries and limits: Account opening possible from a limited list of African countries; transfers to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Morocco… depending on the period
• Fees: 0.5 to 2% on conversion, transparent

PayPal

The most widely accepted by micro-task platforms

• Countries and limits: Receiving money is impossible or limited in several African countries (Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon…); works in Morocco, South Africa, Kenya; perfect for France
• Fees: 3 to 5% + conversion

Skrill, Payeer

Wallets accepted by Microworkers, ySense, Timebucks

• Countries and limits: Wide access but local withdrawal can be difficult
• Fees: Variable, check

Mobile money (Orange Money, Wave, MTN MoMo)

Final receipt via Premise, Wise, or Payoneer withdrawal depending on the country

• Countries and limits: Depends on the country; few platforms pay directly via mobile money
• Fees: Low

African virtual cards (Chipper Cash, Eversend, etc.)

To pay for online subscriptions (Canva, Codeur…), rarely to receive money

• Countries and limits: Depends on the country
• Fees: Variable

Example calculation

• $100 job on Upwork
• 10% fee → $90
• Transfer to Payoneer: free
• Withdrawal to a local bank (about 2%) → $88, converted at the day's rate

Key takeaways

This figure helps you set your prices.

Service terms change: countries, fees and limits must be checked on each official site.