How to hire engineers in Nigeria: where to look and what to pay

You need engineers. You're in Lagos, Kano, or maybe you're remote-first. You've got a product idea or a live MVP. You know you can't do this alone, and you're tired of hearing "developers are expensive" without anyone telling you what expensive actually means or where to find people who won't ghost you after two weeks.

This playbook walks you through the real market for engineering talent in Nigeria in 2026. We'll show you where founders like you are actually finding developers—not the sanitised version from recruitment agencies, but where the work happens. You'll learn what to pay across seniority levels, how to structure offers that stick, and what mistakes will cost you the people you hire.

By the end, you'll know whether to hire locally, go remote, or mix both. You'll understand the tax and legal pieces. And you'll have a framework for building a team that doesn't evaporate the moment a bigger company comes calling.

The real shortage: it's not that developers don't exist

There are developers in Nigeria. Thousands of them. What's actually scarce is developers who are available, reliable, and aligned with your stage and budget. The gap between "I found someone on Twitter" and "I have a senior engineer who ships" is where most founders get stuck.

The market has shifted since 2023. Remote work normalised. Salaries went up. The CBN's forex policies made USD income attractive for Nigerian engineers. And the number of founders trying to hire engineers also went up.

What this means for you: you can't just post on LinkedIn and wait. You need to know where to look, how to evaluate what you find, and why a junior developer in Yaba costs differently than one in Kano or one working remotely from anywhere.

Where to find engineers: the places that actually work

We've watched founders hire across Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and fully remote. Here's where the work actually gets done.

Twitter and technical communities

This is where Nigerian developers hang out. Not the main Twitter feed—the developer corner. Threads, X (the platform), Discord communities around Rust, Python, Go, React. If you're hiring, you're probably already following some of these people.

Why it works: developers here are actively learning. They're posting code. They're responding to technical questions. You can see their work before you interview them.

How to use it: don't DM cold. Engage first. Comment on their posts. Share their work. When you do reach out, be specific: "I saw your thread on Postgres optimisation. We're building something similar at [company]. Interested in talking?"

Where to start: search hashtags like #NaijaDevs, #AfricanTech, #DevCommunity. Follow people who post about your tech stack. Join Discord servers like Devcareer, Thrive, and community Slack channels.

Job boards: Nairaland, LinkedIn, AngelList

LinkedIn works in Nigeria now, but not the way it works in the US. Most engineers aren't passively job-hunting. They're either employed or they're freelancing. Post anyway—you'll get applications, but the quality is mixed.

Nairaland's tech section still moves jobs. AngelList (now Wellfound) has a filter for Nigeria and Africa. These boards are better if you're hiring for a specific role and you're willing to sift through 50 applications to find 3 serious candidates.

Why they're useful: they're low friction for candidates. Someone scrolling Nairaland tech at lunch might apply. You're not competing with recruitment agencies or big-name companies for attention.

What to avoid: posting a vague job description. "Seeking talented developer" will get you 200 CVs from people who learned HTML last month. Be specific: "Senior backend engineer, 5+ years Python/Django, built systems handling >1M requests/day."

Recruitment agencies and tech-focused recruiters

There are good recruiters in Nigeria. Paystack, Flutterwave, and other scale-ups have their own talent teams now. There are also recruiters who specialise in tech—people who understand the difference between a junior and a mid-level engineer.

The trade-off: you'll pay a placement fee (usually 10-20% of first-year salary). But if you're hiring for a specific senior role and you don't have time to hunt, this saves weeks.

How to find them: ask in your network. "Who did you use to hire your engineering lead?" Referrals matter. A recruiter who's placed people at companies you respect is more likely to understand your needs.

Universities and bootcamps

Lagos has ALX, Semicolon, Stutern. There are computer science programs at UI, OAU, Covenant, and others. If you're hiring junior developers or interns, this is the pipeline.

Why it works for juniors: you get people who are hungry, recent, and cheaper. The trade-off is onboarding time. A bootcamp graduate needs mentorship. A CS graduate from UI needs someone to show them how real systems work.

How to reach them: contact the program directors. Sponsor a workshop or hackathon. Post in their alumni channels. Some bootcamps have job boards.

Your network: the fastest way

This one's obvious but underrated. If you've worked with an engineer before, ask them to refer someone. If you know someone who knows someone, use that. Referrals convert faster and have lower churn.

Why it works: you have a shared connection. The candidate is more likely to be serious. And your existing employee can vouch for culture fit.

How to do it: set up a referral bonus. 50,000 to 150,000 NGN for a successful hire is standard. Make it easy to apply: "Know someone? Send me their GitHub and a note about why they'd be good."

What to pay: the 2026 market rates

This is where founders get stuck. "What's the market rate?" There is no single market rate. It depends on experience, location, tech stack, and whether they're working for you full-time or freelancing.

Here's what we're seeing in 2026:

These are base salaries. They don't include equity, benefits, or remote work arrangements.

Why the ranges are so wide

Tech stack matters. A Rust engineer costs more than a PHP engineer. Go, Python, and Elixir engineers command premiums. React/Next.js frontend developers are more common and cheaper.

Proof of work matters. If someone's shipped a production system that handles millions of transactions, they cost more than someone who's completed bootcamp projects. See their GitHub. Ask about the systems they've built.

Location matters. Lagos is more expensive than Kano or Calabar. But remote-first companies often pay Lagos rates even if the engineer is in Kano, because they're competing for the same talent.

Equity vs. cash. Early-stage founders sometimes want to pay 30% less salary and give equity instead. This only works if the equity is actually valuable and the engineer believes in the vision. Most engineers in Nigeria prefer cash. They have rent to pay.

For more detail on how to think about compensation across the African market, see Engineering compensation in Africa, 2026 edition.

How to structure an offer

A competitive offer in Nigeria includes:

1. Base salary (70-80% of total comp)
2. Allowances: transport (30,000–50,000 NGN/month), housing (if applicable), healthcare
3. Equity (if startup): 0.1–2% depending on seniority and stage
4. Bonus: performance or annual (0–30% of base)
5. Leave: 20 days minimum, some companies do 25
6. Remote flexibility: most engineers now expect at least 2-3 days WFH per week

Write it down. An offer letter matters. It doesn't have to be formal, but it should be clear.

Hiring remote vs. local: what actually changes

If you're hiring remote, the salary stays similar, but the legal and tax setup changes. If you're hiring local, you need to register with FIRS and handle payroll properly.

For a full breakdown, see Remote work for African startups: pay, taxes, time zones.

Local hire (Lagos, Abuja, Kano)

What you need:

• Registered company with FIRS
• Payroll system (Paga, Paystack Payroll, or manual)
• Tax registration
• Employment contract

Costs: salary + 10-15% employer contributions (NHIS, PENSION, etc.)

Upsides: easier collaboration, no timezone issues, you can meet in person, easier to enforce accountability

Downsides: rent costs more, commute time, higher salary expectations in Lagos, more overhead

Remote hire (anywhere in Africa or diaspora)

What you need:

• Clear agreement on payment method (usually USD to bank account or crypto)
• Time zone understanding
• Communication tools that work
• Contract that specifies deliverables and payment terms

Costs: often slightly lower (if hiring outside Lagos), but USD-based, so forex matters

Upsides: access to talent outside Nigeria, can hire specialists anywhere, lower cost if you're paying in naira to someone in a cheaper city

Downsides: timezone friction (especially with US-based founders), communication delays, harder to build culture, payment complexity

The hiring process: how to avoid wasting time

Most founders waste weeks in hiring because they don't have a clear process. Here's what works:

1. Screening (1 hour)

Review CV and GitHub. Look for:

• Actual projects (not just courses)
• Consistency (have they worked on one thing for 2+ years, or job-hop every 6 months?)
• Tech stack match

Skip: anyone who can't show you code or past work.

2. First conversation (30 mins, async or call)

Ask:

• "Tell me about the biggest system you've built. What went wrong?"
• "Why are you looking for a new role?"
• "What's your experience with [your tech stack]?"

Listen for: clarity, honesty about gaps, genuine interest in your problem.

3. Technical test (2-4 hours, take-home)

Give a small, realistic problem. Not a LeetCode grind. Something like: "Build an API endpoint that does X" or "Debug this code and explain what's wrong."

Pay for it. 10,000–20,000 NGN is fair. Engineers in Nigeria have bills.

4. Reference check (30 mins)

Call someone who's worked with them. Ask: "Would you hire them again? What's their biggest weakness?"

5. Offer and close (1 week)

Move fast. Good engineers get multiple offers. Once you've decided, offer same day. Give them 48 hours to respond.

Retention: why engineers leave and how to keep them

Hiring is expensive. Keeping people is cheaper. Here's what causes engineers to leave:

1. Salary stagnation. If someone's been at your company for 18 months and hasn't had a raise, they're looking.
2. No growth. They're doing the same thing they did on day 1. No new skills, no seniority progression.
3. Bad management. Unclear priorities, constant context switching, no feedback.
4. Better offer elsewhere. A bigger company comes calling with 30% more money.
5. Unclear equity value. They were promised equity, but it's never been clear what it's worth.

How to keep them:

• Review salaries every 12 months. Adjust for inflation (NGN depreciation is real) and performance.
• Clear growth path. Junior → Mid → Senior → Lead. What does each level look like? What's the salary?
• Ship things. Let them see their work live. Let them own features.
• Feedback loop. Monthly 1-on-1s. Quarterly reviews. Say what they're doing well and what needs work.
• Remote flexibility. If they want to work from home 3 days a week, let them (unless you have a strong reason not to).
• Equity transparency. If you've promised equity, explain the vesting schedule, the strike price, and what it means.

For a deeper dive, see Building an engineering team in Naija: hiring, comp, retention.

Common mistakes founders make

Underpaying because "it's Nigeria"

Nigerian engineers are competitive. They get offers from US companies, European startups, and other African founders. If you pay 40% below market, you'll get people who can't get hired elsewhere.

Hiring too fast

One bad hire costs you 3 months and demoralises your team. Slow down. Vet properly.

No contract or unclear terms

Write it down. Salary, start date, responsibilities, leave policy, notice period. Misalignment here causes friction.

Expecting full commitment for part-time pay

If you want someone full-time, pay full-time rates. If you want part-time, be explicit and pay proportionally.

Not building culture

You don't need ping-pong tables. But you do need clarity on mission, regular communication, and a sense that people's work matters. Remote teams especially need this.

FAQ

Q: How long does it usually take to hire a good engineer in Nigeria? A: 4-8 weeks if you know what you're looking for and you're actively recruiting. Longer if you're waiting for referrals or you're vague about the role. Most founders underestimate this and start the process too late.

Q: Should I hire a recruiter or do it myself? A: Do it yourself for your first 1-2 hires. You'll learn what you actually need. Use a recruiter for senior roles or when you're scaling fast and don't have time.

Q: What's a reasonable equity grant for an early engineer? A: For a seed-stage startup, 0.5-2% for a senior engineer is standard. Junior engineers get 0.1-0.5%. It depends on how many shares are outstanding and what stage you're at. Get a lawyer to help you structure this.

Q: Can I hire a developer from Ghana or Kenya instead of Nigeria? A: Yes. The same principles apply: know what you're paying, have a clear contract, and manage timezone differences. You might pay slightly less in some cases, but talent is competitive across Africa.

Q: What if my engineer wants to go fully remote and I want them in the office? A: This is a negotiation. If they're valuable and it's the only thing holding them back, consider hybrid. If it's non-negotiable for you, you'll need to either accept it or find someone else. The market has shifted—most engineers now expect flexibility.

What to do next

Start with clarity: write down the role, the seniority level, the tech stack, and the salary range you can afford. Then pick one of the channels above and start recruiting.

If you're building a team (not just hiring one engineer), read Building an engineering team in Naija: hiring, comp, retention for the bigger picture on structure and culture.

If you're thinking about remote hiring and want to understand the tax and legal side, Remote work for African startups: pay, taxes, time zones walks you through the specifics.

And if you want to benchmark your offers against the market, Engineering compensation in Africa, 2026 edition has the full breakdown by role, experience, and location.