#7 Profitable Ways To Make Money Online in Tanzania

Last updated on February 21st, 2024 at 07:52 am

Like many young people, are you looking for legitimate ways to make money online in Tanzania?

With internet access spreading across the country, more Tanzanians have opportunities to access money-making platforms, remote jobs, and online services right from home.

The potential to generate an income or side earnings through the internet is growing every year.

This blog post serves as a comprehensive guide to everything Tanzanian youths need to know about the various methods, platforms, and strategies for making money online successfully right from Tanzania.

We will cover the most promising ways students and young adults can realistically earn online along with step-by-step recommendations for getting started down the path of online income generation.

With life getting more expensive, the allure of earning from home in your spare time is strong.

Whether hoping to make enough money online to pay for everyday costs of living or aiming to save up for university fees, online earning potential not tied to an office location or specific degree offers newfound options and opportunities many did not have access to until recent years.

We aim to explore those in detail while also fairly presenting realistic expectations for earnings and effort required.

Our goal is to enable Tanzanian youths looking to earn money online to enter this path informed, prepared, and equipped to evaluate options against individual skills, passions, risk appetite, and personal circumstances.

Every person’s journey to generating an online income will look different based on these factors.

We cover key considerations to reflect on before getting started.

Popular Online Jobs for Tanzanians

The internet economy and remote work revolution has unlocked new opportunities for Tanzanians to earn an income online.

While still an emerging area in the country, thousands of youths now make a living through online jobs, freelancing, and remote roles.

The key benefits that online jobs offer Tanzanians include:

• Location independence – You can work from anywhere with an internet connection
• Global access – Ability to connect with clients all over the world
• Low barrier to entry – Compared to traditional office jobs or businesses requiring big investments or qualifications
• Untapped potential – As internet connectivity spreads, the addressable market is rapidly expanding

For those with digital skills, perseverance and marketing ability – a range of popular and viable online jobs are available even without extensive formal qualifications or strong English skills.

Here are 5 of the most popular and accessible online jobs for Tanzanians starting out:

1. Transcription

Transcription simply refers to listening to audio or video files and typing out a text version of the speech content.

As global businesses, researchers, individuals need digitized text records of everything from meetings, interviews, presentations speeches – skilled transcriptionists are always in demand.

With average pay rates of $15 to $20 per audio hour, meeting minimum accuracy and speed requirements – it offers higher income potential than most jobs requiring just intermediate English and typing abilities.

Why Transcription Works

• Untapped Market – Tanzania’s strong linguistic capabilities are under-leveraged on global platforms
• Phone-Based – Smartphone + headset is all the equipment needed in most cases
• Flexible Hours – Audio files can be downloaded and worked on even with intermittent internet connectivity
• Scalable Income – Pay increases with speed + accuracy – investing in skills pays off

To start, platforms like Rev.com have free transcription tests to assess your capability before applying for real projects from clients.

Building skills and positive ratings opens higher paying opportunities in legal, medical and complex technical transcription – allowing top performers to earn over $50 per file.

Without needing special degrees or prior professional experience.

2. Virtual Assistance

Becoming a virtual assistant (VA) entails providing administrative support services to clients around the world remotely.

From scheduling calls to replying emails to managing documents and calendars – freelance VAs help small business owners and entrepreneurs free up time on daily repetitive tasks.

The core skills needed are literacy, basic computer abilities and most importantly – reliability, professionalism and good online communication.

• Popular services VAs provide include:
• Email and calendar management
• Document formatting (Microsoft Office)
• Online research
• Appointment setting
• Customer service follow-ups

Rates typically range from $5 to $15 per hour depending on specialty and experience level of the VA.

While English fluency expands options, even intermediate spoken English combined with native-level Swahili offers a market niche.

As virtual teams and remote work becomes more common globally post-pandemic – demand for capable online assistants keeps rising each year.

For Tanzanians, starting on dedicated sites like Belay Solutions, TimeETC and MyTasker provides structured entry points to build ratings and skills before joining platforms like UpWork or Fiverr for direct client acquisition.

3. Content Writing

From blog posts and social media captions to product descriptions and web pages – a massive amount (and growing) volume of digital text content is created daily online.

And writing it all requires a growing army of content creators.

Becoming an expert in producing relevant, readable and compelling content in English, Swahili or other languages represents a clear opportunity.

Here are well-paying writing activities Tanzanians can provide for global clients:

• Blog, social media and website content
• Newsletters and email copy
• Product descriptions and reviews
• Ad copies and scripts
• Ebooks and white papers
• Resumes and profiles

Rates for those getting started are around $0.03 to $0.10 per word depending on factors like:

• Niche skill – e.g. financial, medical, technical writing
• Working language
• Platform reputation and ratings

By building a portfolio of published writing samples on reputed content platforms like Contena and iWriter – aspiring writers can demonstrate skills before raising rates through bidding sites or direct client acquisition.

For context on earning potential:

• Writing 2,000 words per day at $0.05 per word = $100 daily full-time income just from content writing!
• Specializations like converting product descriptions or academic papers from English to Swahili offer even higher rates to bilingual writers.

4. Programming & Development

While competitive, freelance coding and programming skills are massively in demand worldwide – and scene in Tanzania is no exception with average project pay exceeding $30 per hour.

From building websites, mobile apps and custom software solutions to automating processes using tools like Excel VBA – self-taught coders can grow into well-paid remote consultants.

Some of the most lucrative programming specialties today are:

Web Languages

Language	Used for	Avg. Hourly Rate
JavaScript	Building interactive browser experiences and backends	$40
PHP	Server-side web and WordPress development	$25
HTML/CSS	Markup + styling websites and apps	$22

App Development

Platform	Used for	Avg. Hourly Rate
React Native	Cross-platform iOS + Android apps	$45
Flutter	Building mobile apps with Google’s SDK	$55
Unity	Game development	$70

For those new to coding – many free learning resources are available through platforms like YouTube, Udemy, Coursera and Udacity to gain skills before joining freelance networks like Toptal, Gun.io and obviously – Upwork and Fiverr by showcasing expertise through coding tests and evaluations.

5. Digital Marketing

Understanding how to effectively market products, brands and causes online is becoming a core skill requirement for every modern business to acquire and retain customers in a crowded digital landscape.

While usually employed full-time by agencies and in-house marketing teams – independent marketing consultants are equally in high demand. Especially those with expertise in channels like:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Pay-per-click advertising
• Content and inbound marketing
• Social media management
• Email marketing

Common digital marketing services that Tanzanian freelancers provide successfully to overseas clients include:

• Competitive analysis
• SEO audits
• Landing page optimization
• Ad campaign management
• Lead generation
• Analytics and reporting

With rates ranging from $20 to $60 per hour based on ability to demonstrate ROI – building a niche (e.g. Facebook ads expert for Ecommerce stores) helps position oneself as a specialized consultant vs. a generalist.

Hands-on experience also counts more than formal education alone – so exploring actual client projects from global companies via platforms like BizzBee is a smart pathway for Tanzanian marketers looking to build credibility and testimonials.

Beyond these 5 areas – as connectivity and technological infrastructure continues strengthening across Tanzania, even more global remote work opportunities will emerge to leverage the country’s rich diversity, language capabilities and youthful entrepreneurial talent.

Top Freelancing Platforms for Tanzanians

Freelancing has opened a world of opportunities for Tanzanians to provide professional skills and services remotely to clients across the globe.

Decades back, finding overseas clients and contracts often required complex registration, paperwork and fees to establish credibility.

Today – prestigious platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and more enable signing up in minutes to access millions of global client job postings and briefs across every industry.

These job marketplaces connect businesses or individual buyers looking to hire affordable specialized talent for short or long term projects – with registered freelancers bidding and competing to win this remote work.

Below we explore the top 5 freelancing platforms commonly used by Tanzanians to earn foreign currency – outlining their key features, benefits and differences.

1. Upwork

Founded in 2015 after a merger of Elance and oDesk, Upwork has firmly established itself as the world’s leading freelance services online platform with over $1 billion yearly income enabled for registered consultants and agencies.

Key Stats:

• 7+ million registered freelancers
• 5+ million clients
• Thousands of projects and jobs across 6000+ skills

Notable Upwork Features

• Work Diary – automatic tracking of freelancer work activity
• Direct chat and video call with clients within site
• Extensive skill tests and assessments
• Full project escrow protections
• Large database of past projects as example portfolio

Upwork is extremely popular globally – but competition is equally intense given the vast talent pool.

By passing skill tests and building a strong profile, Tanzanian talents can differentiate themselves. Commissions range from 20% on first $500 to 5% beyond $10k earned per client.

2. Fiverr

As the name indicates – Fiverr made micro-gigs (starting at $5) and single service orders popularized initially – though today features a thriving marketplace supporting complex and high value freelance projects.

What Fiverr Offers:

• Access to buyers from almost every country
• Allows highlighting specialty niches more prominently
• Clear pricing models and order processes
• Wide range of categories beyond writing/data entry featured on Upwork
• Full automation integration possible using API

With streamlined and recognizable gig-package pricing, Fiverr makes it easier for newcomers to define and market their offerings – while allowing scaling up to premium packages on time or project basis as well. Generous 80/20 split on orders favors freelancers.

Almost every online service can be structured into a sellable gig – limited only by imagination and ability to target relevant buyer needs.

3. Freelancer

Established in 2009, Freelancer.com manages 5 million+ registered users over 247 countries worldwide – facilitating millions in transactions annually.

A key appeal for Tanzanians lies in the regional pricing model which allows setting more affordable rates in local currency – increasing competitiveness for buyers comparing options.

Additional Advantages

• Fixed price and hourly jobs nicely categorized
• Active community forums for newbies
• Contests allow bidding on defined projects
• Wide range of skill and price filters for searching
• Referral program incentives

For those struggling to directly compete with global talent on Upwork and Fiverr – Freelancer presents a friendlier option to gain experience with smaller regional clients first. While occasionally restricting withdrawls, overall reputation remains positive.

4. PeoplePerHour

This UK-based site PeoplePerHour hosts a skilled talent pool of millions across 150+ countries – lean more towards short term hourly jobs rather than fixed budget projects.

Competitive Edge for Tanzanians:

• Allows super-low hourly bids from $3 USD
• Fixed price jobs have smaller budgets suitable for newbies
• Features jobs with NGOs and charities
• Good match for those seeking part-time work

Significantly lower platform fees compared to Upwork – ranging from 3.5% to 15% makes it very affordable for entry level Tanzanian talents to build initial ratings and metric signals before expanding reach.

5. Kuhustle

Founded in Nairobi just last year, Kuhustle is a dedicated Pan-African freelance network for professionals based in Africa to connect within the region – reducing barriers of foreign platforms better optimized for Western clients and talent profiles.

Advantages for Tanzanians

• Lower competition from Asia/Eastern Europe
• Regional language/culture familiarity
• Africa-focused skill tags and location bias
• Settlements possible via MPESA mobile money
• Local meetups and workshops

With 5000+ professionals already registered spanning 47 African countries, Kuhustle promises a more level playing field and favorable exposure specifically for Tanzanian experts looking to expand beyond established Upwork clients.

As connectivity and mobile access continues spreading rapidly inland – leveraging such localized networks first helps build ratings, reviews and earnings metrics before expanding globally.

Choosing the Right Freelance Platforms as a Tanzanian Expert

With so many appealing options – determining what sites best align with one’s niche, skills, language capabilities and preferences is key.

Here is a simple decision making framework:

New to Online Freelancing

Focus on establishing profile – take tests, build portfolio samples. Begin with smaller gigs on PeoplePerHour, Kuhustle and Freelancer before raising rates and targeting bigger clients on Upwork/Fiverr.

Experienced Professional

If reputation and skills already proven – jump right to Upwork, Fiverr and cross-list for max exposure. Migrate successful clients off platform over time.

Regional Exposure Preference

For Swahili, Arabic, French language services – Kuhustle and Freelancer offer better visibility.

Niche Software Projects

Upwork best betting for custom enterprise software, complex WordPress and mobile app bids.

As the accelerated digital shift keeps pushing more traditional office jobs online – smart Tanzanian experts are taking their talent global, leveraging these platforms to build meaningful careers, outstanding portfolios and consistent foreign earnings.

Building Profitable Online Side Hustles & Businesses In Tanzania

The potential of the internet allows regular Tanzanians to setup money-making online businesses and projects (known popularly as ‘side-hustles‘) – without needing major upfront funding or qualifications.

Leveraging digital tools and platforms available today, almost anyone motivated can get started on their entrepreneurial journey with minimal cost and risk involved initially.

Below we explore profitable online business models showing strong traction in Tanzania – that youths and aspiring solopreneurs on limited budgets can explore for steady secondary income streams.

Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping has exploded globally as a popular low-investment ecommerce model – from students in dorm rooms to stay-at-home parents, running part-time web stores selling products shipped and fulfilled by third party suppliers upon receiving orders.

A major benefit lies in avoiding large upfront inventories – the cornerstone and restrictive hurdle for traditional offline retail.

Succeeding with dropshipping involves:

• Finding a high intent niche – e.g. pet toys, baby products, fitness equipment
• Setting up an visually attractive online storefront with quality product listings
• Driving consistent visitors to the site via Facebook/Instagram ads, influencers etc.
• Providing excellent customer service – answering queries, handling returns etc.
• Optimizing sales funnels over time to maximize conversion rates

With factor costs as low as $100 to test validate models that earn $500+ monthly – exploring dropshipping represents a solid starting point for Tanzanian ecommerce aspirants before raising capital for custom branding and warehousing down the road.

Affiliate Marketing

Becoming an affiliate enables earning steady commissions promoting trusted third party brands and stores – without the need for creating products or handling logistics and customer service.

Affiliates simply focus on driving qualified traffic and sales through:

• Content sites (blogs, YouTube etc.)
• Email newsletters
• Online communities and forums
• Social media updates

Typical affiliate commissions range from 5% to 15% per conversion depending on vertical, but special offers and bonuses can drive this even higher.

This means for a product priced $100 – driving 20 sales monthly as an affiliate already generates $100 to $300 without major upfront investment.

Scaling earnings lies in focusing on high ticket, evergreen offers instead of fad products – and structuring promotional content for both search visibility and social sharing instead just spray-and-pray methods alone.

YouTube Channel Revenue

Launching a Swahili language YouTube channel focusing on music, pop culture commentary, celebrity gossip, lifestyle topics offers strong monetization upside – especially with the swelling youth demographic gaining increasing purchasing power across Tanzania.

YouTube ads are recognized as the highest RPM (per thousand impressions) video monetization source given significant viewer targeting data available – with average payouts exceeding $10 per thousand views.

Combined with sponsorship revenues promoting relevant brands/causes to engaged subscribers and syndicating popular clips across leading media sites can collectively build a solid income stream from a hobby-like passion project without major infrastructure or overhead.

For context – a channel gaining 100,000 monthly views (very achievable benchmark locally) translates to around $1000 per month in earnings assuming moderate optimization.

Further growth simply compounds revenues rapidly for stars who catch audience attention spanning regions.

Service Selling Sites

Online platforms like Fiverr have popularized the model of selling professional skills and services digitally to a global audience – allowing micro-entrepreneurs to leverage niche expertise at unprecedented scale.

Everything from graphic design, voice-overs, transcriptions, research support and video editing can be packaged into discrete gigs purchasable online.

Key elements for successfully earning through online services in Tanzania include:

• Targeting expatriate demand in East Africa for Swahili translations, cultural consulting etc.
• Complimentary service bundling – offering a multi-gig package deal
• Setting fair pricing aligned to average regional income levels
• Communicating reliability and responsiveness through profile and offerings
• Ensuring listings are discoverable for relevant search queries

With Fiverr taking just 20% commissions and similar sites like Upwork also expanding Africa-based talent pool – offering high margin professional skills to demanding global markets represents a lucrative model to explore.

Digital Skills Critical For Online Business Success in Tanzania

While passion, work ethic and savvy marketing underlie successful online ventures – specifically investing to build sustainable capability in the following digital skills dramatically improves earning potential and outcomes:

Digital Content Creation

• Writing Skills – Produce blog posts, social captions, product listings
• Basic Graphic Design – Creating logos, promo visuals, ads etc.
• Video Editing – Short marketing clips, webinar replays
• Presentation Decks – Pitching services, securing clients

Building effective digital content capabilities allows clearly communicating unique value propositions in a crowded online marketplace – helping brands and ventures stand out cost-effectively while engaging audiences.

Free online software like Canva has made basic design extremely accessible today without extensive technical training.

Digital Marketing & Analytics

• Search Optimization – Improving site architecture, page speed and content for visitors
• Social Media Management – Growing authentic engaged communities on key platforms
• Ads Platform Expertise – Facebook, Google, LinkedIn paid campaigns experience
• Email Marketing – Building subscriber lists, automation flows for lead nurturing
• Web Analytics – Google Analytics, data tagging, tracking key conversion metrics

Understanding core digital marketing strategies helps reach and convert relevant visitor traffic to customers across channels and platforms.

Certifications from renown institutes like HubSpot, Google Analytics Academy, Facebook Blueprint and Hootsuite run free or at very affordable costs – recognized globally by employers and partners.

Operational Workflow Management

• Project Management – Trello, Asana, Monday etc.
• Document Editing – Google Docs, Microsoft Office
• Email and Calendar – Gmail, Outlook productivity features
• Team Communication – Slack, Microsoft Teams monthly active usage
• Accounting Software – Wave, QuickBooks tracking income/spending

Streamlining backoffice workflows allows efficiently collaborating with remote teams and keeping online ventures tightly managed as they scale up.

Again multiple free tools exist in each category – reducing technology barrier excuses significantly today.

If you want to make money online in Tanzania, master these skills!

How to work online and get paid in Tanzania

Here’s a breakdown of ways to work online and get paid in Tanzania, along with some helpful resources:

Types of Online Work

• Freelancing: Offer your skills on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer.com, and Guru. Popular freelance services include:
  • Writing and Editing
  • Translation (especially if you know Swahili and English well)
  • Graphic Design
  • Web Development
  • Virtual Assistance
  • Social Media Management
  • Data Entry
• Online Surveys: While not a primary income source, paid survey sites are an option for some extra money. Consider:
  • [Triaba Tanzania] (https://www.triaba.com/tz)
  • [OpinionAPP] (Check availablity on the App Store or Google Play)
• Online Teaching: If you have expertise in a subject, teach online. Platforms include:
  • TutorMe
  • Preply
  • Companies specializing in teaching English as a foreign language
• Transcription: Convert audio and video files into text. Look for jobs and projects on:
  • Rev
  • TranscribeMe
  • GoTranscript
• Micro-tasks: Complete small tasks for pay. Popular sites include:
  • Amazon Mechanical Turk
  • Clickworker

Important Considerations

• Skills Development: Invest in learning in-demand skills. Free and affordable courses are available on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and edX.
• Strong Profile: Create detailed profiles on freelancing platforms, showcasing your skills and experience.
• Payment Methods: Explore ways to receive payments in Tanzania:
  • Payoneer (often used by international clients)
  • PayPal (limitations may exist)
  • Bank transfers (if your client can facilitate them)
• Internet Reliability: Ensure you have a stable and reliable internet connection, which is crucial for most online work.

Finding Work

• Freelancing Platforms: These are primary places to find online gigs. Browse available jobs and set competitive rates.
• LinkedIn: Search for opportunities at LinkedIn Jobs for Tanzania: [https://tz.linkedin.com/jobs/online-jobs].
• Company Websites: Target companies that hire remote workers directly. Many companies allow for remote work in customer support, technical roles, and more.
• Local networks: Tap into Tanzanian online communities to learn about local online work opportunities.

Additional Tips

• Focus on niche skills: Specializing can increase your appeal to clients.
• Build a portfolio: Showcase your completed work to attract potential clients.
• Market yourself: Use social media and a personal website to promote your services.
• Be patient: It takes time to establish a successful online career.

Challenges and Risks As You Make Money Online in Tanzania

Now that you know how to make money online in Tanzania, there are two main hurdles you are likely to face:

1. Poor Internet Connectivity

• Locations outside major cities have limited broadband access
• Mobile data is expensive relative to average income
• Power outages can disrupt work

Having a back-up option like local internet cafes helps. Also trying options like SMS-based gigs where less bandwidth is required.

2. Financial Fraud

• Many scam job ads target those new to online platforms
• Need to verify legitimacy before starting work or sharing details
• Withdraw earnings carefully using mobile money

Vetting clients, reading reviews and not trusting “too good to be true” offers helps avoid frauds. Joining communities like online forums and Facebook groups helps get guidance from fellow Tanzanians.

Tips for Success

In summary – to maximize your chances of making money online as a Tanzanian youth:

• Build In-Demand Skills – Do free online courses in writing, digital skills, coding etc. These pay off most.
• Be Patient and Persistent – Online income takes months to build – commit to keep trying even if progress is slow initially.
• Use Mobile Money Wisely – Avoid over-withdrawing earnings and transaction fees eating into income.

The opportunities are expanding each year as internet access improves across Tanzania. With the right hustler mindset and smart approach – making a living online is getting easier in the country.

Read also:

• 11 Real Games That Pay Real Money in Tanzania