Part 1: Getting Started With Remote Work (in Africa)
By: Eliud Irungu
Tags: Work From Home, Africa, Remote Working, Remote Work

I am writing this staring out my window looking at my neighbors water tank and banana trees. Yes! Africa is ready for remote work and we are enjoying it (at least I am :-)). We have electricity i.e. both solar and grid power. For those of us who are super adventurous we have ordered Tesla power walls and are set up for any power outages that occur from time to time.

My workstation

Did I mention our internet speeds are good and reliable? We are 5G prepared as well. Kenya’s Safaricom, for example, is in the process of rolling this (5G) out as shown in the link below.

Source:https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/safaricom-to-launch-5g-network-this-year-2280228

Huawei is already in Africa and is working fast to ensure there is adequate internet connectivity everywhere.

The google loons are here too, to ensure the internet reaches far flung areas away from cities and more established towns.

How do we then successfully work remotely? The first step is to be intentional. One has to understand themselves, understand their environment and understand the work they are doing.

I believe for one to succeed in this new (changed) method of working you need to have the following: - The right equipment to work. - The right knowledge and skills to work. - Most importantly the work to work on 😊.

In this article we shall be talking about the basic equipment to get you started. Most of my examples will be found in Kenya as that’s where I am based currently. You will need the following:

A reliable internet connection.

There are several internet providers in the country. I will list 6 common internet service providers in no order of reliability. That’s a study for another day.

There are many more I have not added given the boom in remote work and working from home.

From my experience, I would advise one to have at least 2 different providers, although that is a luxury. This also, is highly dependent on the type of work. A mobile internet provider will be an addition so as to enable tethering in case WIFI connection is down.

2. A laptop or desktop computer.

You could pick the processor type based on the type of work you do. For instance, video editing and music editing have different processing needs. For typical basic typing work, an i3 processor would work fine. Sooner or later the market in Kenya will be flooded with laptops and computers. We need to start thinking about ways to recycle all the e-waste that comes as a result of this.

3. A good desk and comfortable chair.

I cannot fail to emphasize the importance of these two. You need to be able to have a good area to work from so that you do not have challenges working. I used to say that an uncomfortable chair will get me to leave my workspace and force me to go for a break but I quickly realized one can get serious back damage with a bad chair.

A big enough table is important as well. So that you can have adequate space for your notebooks, stationery and the world famous Kenyan tea or coffee.

4. Power backup.

This is still a luxury to many. A simple UPS (uninterruptible power supply) can help with at least 2 hour backup power on top of the laptops 2 hour backup power. This should give you a total of 4 hours back up power which is quite accommodative. (Disclaimer: This has not been tested yet. Huge assumptions here)

6. A printer.

7. Your mobile phone to communicate in case you get disconnected or to tether as you finish up on pending work.

I need to emphasize the importance of communication when working remotely both to your team or your client. It is important to notify your client/team mates/manager when you are not available incase of any unforeseen incidents. This helps everyone to be on the same page and come up with solutions to keep the work going.

Clear consistent and concise communication is a show of good faith in remote work and builds trust.

8. A webcam for your meetings and a good speaker and microphone.

As you embrace remote work be prepared to attend numerous video calls and virtual meetings. For you to optimally engage you need: - A good speaker: To hear things clearly - A good microphone : To be heard clearly as you speak. - A good web cam: To facilitate clear visuals.

It can be embarrassing and time consuming spending the first 5–10 minutes asking the other person whether they can hear or see you well.

My advice: set up and test your equipment 5 to10 minutes before your meeting.

To summarize Africa more so Kenya is currently set up and ready for Remote work and teams working from home.

Let’s continue this discussion and I am free to connect on LinkedIn. Are there any important tools that I have not mentioned that one would need to set up a basic remote work space? Feel free to add them in the comment section as well as any feedback. In the next article we shall be talking about the Right Knowledge and Skills to Work.