Hire and pay a remote contractor in Africa
How to hire and compliantly pay a remote contractor from Nigeria or another African country — contracts, payment methods, and tax obligations.
Confirm you need a contractor, not an employee. Contractors handle their own taxes and benefits; employees require full payroll compliance.
Write a contractor agreement covering: scope of work, hourly or project rate, payment schedule, IP ownership (all IP transfers to you), NDA, and termination.
Use a contract template from Lawpadi or a local lawyer for jurisdiction-specific clauses.
Set up payment: Deel is the simplest for cross-border contractors — they sign up on Deel and you fund the contract. For local Nigerian contractors, direct Paystack Transfer or bank transfer works.
Agree on invoicing: the contractor submits a monthly invoice, you pay within 5 business days.
For Nigerian contractors: deduct 5% Withholding Tax on contract payments and remit to FIRS quarterly via the TaxPro Max portal.
Keep records of all contracts, invoices, and payment receipts for 7 years.