Do you know that you can make money online from home by working gigs online, depending on your expertise and knowledge? Oh yes! I’m going to show you how you can earn money online by utilizing or offering your skills in exchange for payment. This is what we call freelancing.
Freelancing is not a new thing. Infact, it has become globally popular, especially during the COVID-19 era when movement was restricted. Many people began to look for new opportunities to make money online.
Also, many Nigerians want to earn in dollars, and they easily take to freelancing. Earning in dollars is one sure way to escape the economic hardship in Nigeria, and I’m sure you can relate to this.
Are you a Nigerian and desire to earn money online by offering your skills as a service? Then this article is for you. Read on please.
How Freelancing works
Like I said earlier, freelancing is as simple as exchanging your skills for money. In other words, you sell your skills and time in exchange for payment. Such services are provided either through a third-party website or directly with a client.
What kind of skills can you provide as a freelancer? Virtually any skill. The thing is, most companies or individuals are either too busy or lack the required expertise to handle daily tasks associated with running their businesses.
So, what do they do? They simply outsource the task to a freelancer, and this is where you come in.
Popular Freelancing Gigs for Nigerians
Like I said earlier, you can freelance just about anything, as long as there is a demand for your skill. However, a few stand out as the most popular ones. I need you to understand that the more popular and easier a skill is, the more competition you have to face. So, take note of this fact as you proceed.
- Graphic Design
- Coding/Software Development
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- Coding/Software Development
- Content Writing
- Copywriting
- Social Media Management
- Video Editing
- Digital Marketing
- Data Entry
- Ghostwriting
- Language Translation
Freelancing Websites to check out in Nigeria
Supposing you intend to work as a freelancer, where do you get clients? Several websites offer this as a service. They act as third parties where a seller (in this case the client) lists jobs that they want to be done, while the buyer (the freelancer) applies to handle the job.
If the freelancer qualifies to do the job, the client offers him the job and makes a down payment in most cases. The freelancer is commissioned to execute the job within a time frame. Once the job is completed, the seller makes payment of the balance.
At the end of the day, the seller is satisfied, and the freelancer is also satisfied. Everyone is happy. However, this is not always the case as we will see in a bit. Keep reading.
So here are the most popular freelancing websites to check out.
| Website | Great For | Remarks |
| Upwork | Creative professionals, developers, etc. | Global platform, price range depends on nature of work |
| Fiverr | Any type of job | Global platform, price starts from $5 |
| Freelancer | Any type of job | Global platform, wide price range |
| Guru | Any type of job | Global platform |
| People per Hour | Any type of job | Global platform |
| Nairaworkers | Creative, writing, micro-tasks | Nigerian platform |
| Yokebay | Creative professionals, online marketing jobs, etc. | Nigerian platform |
| Oyerr | Micro tasks | Nigerian platform |
| Freeciti | Creative professionals, micro-tasks, etc. | Nigerian platform |
| Gigs Nigeria | Creative professionals, micro-tasks, etc. | Nigerian platform |
| Alance | Creative professionals, micro-tasks, etc. | Nigerian platform |
| SourceGig | Creative professionals, digital and web dev., etc. | Nigerian platform |
| JustFrom5K | Creative professionals, digital marketing jobs, etc. | Nigerian platform, price from 5K |
| Jo-Lancer | Creative professionals, digital marketing jobs, etc. | Nigerian platform |
| FindWorka | Creative professionals, developers, writers | Nigerian platform |
| Asuqu | Creative professionals, developers, writers | Nigerian platform |
Upwork is a great place to get jobs, especially for Nigerians. It has a robust system for ensuring that both freelancer and client are satisfied.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Freelancing in Nigeria
Freelancing is great and all, but does it have any disadvantages? Definitely. I list out the obvious one below.
| Advantages of Freelancing | Disadvantages of Freelancing |
| Financial freedom | Intense competition in some cases |
| Flexibility – work when you want | Discrimination due to nationality |
| Work remotely – no need to commute to the office | None availability of payment platforms to Nigerians like PayPal |
Despite the disadvantages, most young Nigerians have built a career from freelancing online, and they are doing quite well for themselves.
Challenges of Freelancing in Nigeria
Now let’s talk about the challenges. It’s great to be able to earn in dollars from Nigeria, especially given the high exchange rate in favor of the dollar. We’ve discussed the advantages and otherwise of freelancing in Nigeria. However, there’s a single biggest problem that Nigerians face when looking for work online, and that is discrimination.
The reason why I’m writing about this is because I’ve experienced it in my online journey of making money from Nigeria. You see, many countries do not like to deal with Nigerians, no thanks to the menace of fraud in Nigeria and by Nigerians.
The moment a prospective client finds out that you’re from Nigeria, either they simply disconnect from communicating with you, or they simply tell you to forget it.
So how do you overcome this stigma? Be genuine and honest. Most clients don’t mind where you come from, as long as you deliver on the job.
Another issue to look out for is difficult clients. Some clients will condemn your work, and prove difficult. Some other clients may refuse to pay your balance. So what do you do?
A good rule of thumb is to ensure you take an advance payment, at least 50% before doing any job. Most platforms like Upwork handle the payment for you, so you don’t have to worry.
Ways to Receive Payment for Nigerian Freelancers
I highlight this issue because it is a common problem with most Nigerians who want to make money online. PayPal is not available for Nigerians to receive payments. The platform only allows Nigerians to pay for goods and services online, but not to receive.
Why is this so? Due to the high incidence of fraud coming from Nigerians, PayPal imposed the restriction in 2016. Since then, Nigerians cannot receive payments using PayPal.
So how do you overcome this challenge?
There are a few alternatives, though there’s nothing like having a PayPal account that can receive payments. This is because PayPal has the most reach and acceptability worldwide because of its superior financial services technology.
However, here are some alternatives –
Creating a PayPal account with a different country
You can create a PayPal account in a different country instead of Nigeria. PayPal has different country websites. You simply sign up using that country’s PayPal website.
Examples include Lesotho, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. You can open business accounts using these countries’ respective PayPal websites. The only downside is that you cannot withdraw your earnings, but you can swap it with an exchanger who you trust.
Payoneer
Payoneer is a financial technology company offering similar services as PayPal. It allows you to create an account on their website, which after approval you can begin to use. You also get a US/UK/EU bank account with which you can receive payments from clients.
You can create virtual cards with which you can shop or pay for services online. They also have a mobile app that allows you to transact on the move.
Payoneer charges you a fee for receiving and withdrawing to your local bank account. However, Payoneer may block your account if you fail to abide by their terms and conditions. I suffered this in October 2023 when they blocked my account, without even telling me my offense.
I was using the account to receive earnings from Amazon and Udemy, but they suddenly blocked the account. Immediately this happened, I had to look for alternatives, which I found in Geegpay.
Geegpay
This is a new entrant into the business, and they offer similar services like Payoneer. Geegpay gave me an even better alternative to Payoneer, because of their lower fees, compared to Payoneer.
They also have virtual US/UK/EU accounts which you can create, in addition to virtual cards. Geegpay has come to stay, and you should definitely check them out. They also have a mobile app with which you can operate your account.
Geegpay also allows you to withdraw your money to a local bank account in Nigeria at very good exchange rates. I highly recommend Geegpay if you’re a freelancer in Nigeria. The only downside is that their virtual cards and USD virtual accounts cannot be linked to a PayPal account.
I have been using Geegpay since November 2023, when Payoneer blocked my account. They have much lower fees compared to Payoneer.
Grey
Grey offers almost the same services as Geegpay. They also charge lower fees compared to Geegpay and Payoneer, and I consider their platform the best Payoneer alternative in Nigeria. The only downside is that they are not widely accepted like PayPal, otherwise, they are a good option to receive payment for your freelance jobs right in Nigeria.
You can create virtual cards and accounts, and you can withdraw your money to a local bank account right in Nigeria at good exchange rates. Like Geegpay, their virtual cards cannot be linked to a PayPal account.
Payday
Similar to the aforementioned companies, Payday is another nice alternative to PayPal for Nigerians. With it, you have a US receiving account, virtual cards, and the ability to withdraw to a local bank account.
Concluding Thoughts on Freelancing in Nigeria
Armed with the above information, I’m sure you are better equipped to make money online in Nigeria with freelancing. What are your thoughts? Did this post provide the information you needed? Let us know in the comments below.
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