In today’s article we’re going to show you how you can make a lot of money online in Ethiopia easily. We’ll look at 17 of the best ways to make money online in Ethiopia in 2023.
1. Become a virtual assistant
If you have a knack for organizing and planning, becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to make money online in Ethiopia. A virtual assistant job involves doing various tasks like managing social media pages, replying to emails, and taking phone calls on behalf of a business.
With the number of solopreneurs increasing, virtual assistants are seeing a sharp increase in demand for their services. You can get started by applying to jobs on Upwork, Indeed, or Virtual Assistant Jobs. VAs make around $19.36 per hour on average, according to Indeed.com.
Some virtual assistants have also found success by building their own personal brand and promoting it to entrepreneurs and startups. You can follow suit by creating a Facebook Business page and sprucing it up with content promoting your service. (It’s free to create one and you can share it anywhere on the web.)
If you want to become a virtual assistant, there are many things that you need to consider. You need to have a computer since so many virtual assistant duties are done on it. Moreover, a high-speed Internet connection is also required for this job.
2. Do research online
Are you good at using Google to find specific information? If so, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make money online in Ethiopia for free.
Many companies in different industries hire web researchers to find the most relevant and dependable sources of info for them. Then they share that info with their clients to help them make informed business decisions. You can apply to work on their tasks—all you need is a computer and internet access.
Here are some companies that regularly look for online researchers:
- Wonder hires virtual researchers to find quality answers to the questions posed by its clients. Tasks may involve gathering statistics, explaining market trends, or determining competitive landscapes.
- 10EQS hires industry experts who can research and answer questions relevant to their particular industries. If you have extensive knowledge of an industry, you can apply to join 10EQS’s team of experts for an opportunity to work on live research projects.
You can also apply to internet research jobs on Upwork and Indeed.
3. Transcribe audio and video files
Though artificial intelligence is emerging as a tool to help with speech-to-text transcription, it’s far from perfect. Therefore, many companies rely on transcriptionists to turn audio from videos and speech files into accurate text.
You can lock in a part-time role with a company like Rev or work freelance with multiple firms on specific projects inorder to make money online in Ethiopia. Most companies let you choose which assignments you work on and set your own schedule. The best part is you don’t need to invest anything upfront—simply use the speakers that come built into your computer to transcribe.
To succeed as a transcriber, you’ll want to strengthen your typing skills. Your work needs to be error-free and easy for clients to comprehend. Start practicing by transcribing short audio files so you’re ready to apply for jobs with transcription companies.
4. Set up a Patreon
Patreon is a membership platform that helps artists and creators to make money online in Ethiopia. Through this platform, fans can subscribe to projects by paying a subscription. If you regularly create videos, podcasts, or music and have a following, you can join Patreon to let your most passionate fans support your work via a monthly membership.
To be successful on Patreon, you’ll need to offer your followers something intriguing to earn their support. This could mean involving them in your creative process or offering exclusive content created specifically for them. Check out these ideas for rewards you can offer your fans on the platform.
It’s completely free to sign up with Patreon. The company only receives a small percentage once you start earning.
5. Review websites and apps
Another way to make money online in Ethiopia for free is to review websites for cash.
Some companies offer people payments and free products to leave testimonials on their sites. Other businesses pay people to examine the quality and performance of their websites.
When reviewing websites, you’ll usually examine the site’s functionality and how fast it loads. The amount you earn will be dependent on the marketplace you work with and the testing methods you use. In most instances, you’ll earn more if you’re willing to do one-on-one testing sessions with clients over video conferencing.
Here are some companies you can join:
- UserTesting for app, website, and user experience testing
- TryMyUI for impression and survey-based testing
- Testbirds for digital product, store, and mobile app testing
None of these companies require you to pay a sign-up fee, so you can start reviewing websites and making money without any investment.
6. Join an affiliate program
Do you think you have the marketing chops to promote things effectively? Join an affiliate program and earn commission by promoting products, services, or brands on different platforms. Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive an affiliate link to share with others.
When someone buys the product or service after clicking your link, you’ll receive a commission, along with credit for the referral. The commission payout depends on the affiliate program and the product being promoted—basic items on the Amazon marketplace won’t pay out much, but promoting digital services like web hosting may make you money online in Ethiopia.
Contrary to popular belief, affiliate marketing doesn’t rely on blog promotions to generate revenue for a marketer. You can use your social media accounts like Instagram and Facebook to promote businesses and make money online in Ethiopia.
7. Launch a YouTube channel
Ever thought of becoming a YouTuber? Nowadays, you can film unboxing videos, product tutorials, and funny skits with nothing but your smartphone. And it doesn’t cost anything to set up your YouTube channel. By signing into YouTube using your Google account, you can create a new channel with your name or a custom name.
As a YouTube channel owner, you’ll have several opportunities to make money online in Ethiopia. Once you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers, you can start earning by running ads on your channel. You can also partner with brands on sponsored content, sell merchandise, or become an affiliate to monetize your YouTube channel.
The key to a successful YouTube channel is to focus on one niche. You could offer beauty tutorials, review tech products, do a daily roundup of cryptocurrency prices—whatever you think will bring more views.
8. Participate in focus groups
Do you enjoy sharing your insight and opinions with people? Take part in paid market research studies and make $50 per hour or even more. Focus groups are normally used to determine people’s attitudes toward specific products, branding, or ideas. Participants may also be asked about their opinions on competing products or businesses.
Focus groups can be conducted in-person or online, but generally are free to join, and pay participants handsomely. Some of the places you can look for focus groups include:
Usually, there’ll be a moderator in the group to guide discussions, take notes, and record the session. If you join an online focus group, you should be able to participate in the discussions via video software on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
9. Become an online travel agent
Do you know where to find the best flight deals and vacation packages? Consider working from home as a virtual travel agent.
Travel agents make money online in Ethiopia to help people plan vacations and personal travels. As the logistics (connecting flights, accommodations, sightseeing tours, etc.) can be overwhelming, many individuals rely on travel agents to make their trips easier.
You don’t need any special certification to become an online travel agent. What you need are research and organization skills to plan a smooth trip for your clients in the budget they mention. For assistance, you can partner with different companies to get discounts to offer your clients.
10. Sell photos online
If you regularly take photos or have lots of images on your hard drive, you can sell them to stock agencies to earn some money. You will receive a commission every time someone downloads one of your photographs—either a fixed amount or a percentage as determined by the stock image site.
Best websites to sell your photos online:
If you build a nice collection around a particular theme, you can earn a good amount of money from it. And the best part is every image you upload can be sold again and again, though some websites might require you to make the photos exclusive to their platform.
11. Offer social media consultancy
Know how to get followers on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest? Put your skills up for sale by promoting yourself as a social media consultant. Brands will contact you to brainstorm creative ideas, produce videos, and more.
It’s a great way to make money online in Ethiopia for individuals with social media skills, as you can use your existing profile as your portfolio. Market your portfolio in digital marketing groups and forums. And don’t forget to include a link in the outreach emails you send to agencies.
Need inspiration? Check out Lucas O’Keefe’s story. His journey started with a viral TikTok video that turned into a full-on consulting business helping brands gain a following on social media.
12. Work as a Freelancer from Home
You can make an extra additional income if you are able to freelance the skills you possess.
If you have knowledge in designing, programming, marketing, or various other skills, you can provide these services to many clients around the world.
You can charge for your services and work in your off-time, and as your work is appreciated and rated, this temporary freelance gig could actually take off and become your main source of an attractive income.
You can make money online in Ethiopia this way online in Ethiopia, all from the comfort of your own home.
The advantages of being a freelancer include flexible hours, as we already discussed, since you are your own boss, you could take a nap whenever you want, and work whenever you want.
You will also have full control over the jobs and clients you choose to work for, and are able to decline an offer if the client’s payment philosophy or personality is not suited to your tastes.
The disadvantages of working as a freelancer in Ethiopia, include an unsteady and unreliable workload, meaning, there is no guaranteed regular client, project, or profit, as opposed to a normal job.
But as your reputation grows, expect to have an increase in workload.
Furthermore, being your own boss, means it will be difficult to tell the difference between work time and personal time. You will have to teach yourself discipline.
Freelancing in Ethiopia can be classified as both positive and negative.
Freelancing means you will have your professional freedom, but it also means inconsistency and the risk of failure, this for some might be a deal breaker.
The following are some sites that are currently offering work for people with skills in Ethiopia, that are looking to freelance: UpWork and Freelancer.
13. Earn through paid online surveys
Paid online surveys are also a great option to earn extra money from home.
There are a plethora of MNCs or multi-national companies that are searching for customers who can provide them with reliable feedback on their products or services.
They desire the knowledge of what exactly the needs and opinions are of the general public.
The only requirement to make money online in Ethiopia is that you have an email account and a PayPal or Payoneer. account (some other payment mediums may sometimes be required).
Keep in mind, that most of the more valuable surveys online cater to the top-tier countries (US, UK, etc.), but there are ways around this.
Some people in Ethiopia have developed a knack for using VPN’s, as this was a tool for overcoming network obstacles in the past.
We are not condoning the use of VPN’s for taking online surveys in Ethiopia, but are merely stating a fact.
Also, one must always be wary of online survey sites that ask for payment upfront, these are most definitely scam sites.
So once again, due diligence and research are keys to making a nice side profit from your free time.
Most of the companies have surveys that are prepared by market research companies and they can offer you payment in cash or gift vouchers.
It is common for some people to earn about 1 USD to 10 USD (34 ETB to 340 ETB) an hour depending on the type of surveys you undertake.
For example, you can receive the payment via PayPal within 3 to 4 working days and then connect the account to your local Ethiopian bank account and receive it in another 3 to 4 working days.
Here are some survey sites that could help you make money online in Ethiopia: Surveysavvy, Mysurvey, Surveyspot, Opionionoutpost, and Brandinstittute.
14. Become an online tutor
Teaching is one of the most common ways people make money online in Ethiopia. You can teach anything from coding to fitness to business.
There are a few things you need to do to make money online in Ethiopia as an online tutor:
Start a blog: You can make money online in Ethiopia as an online tutor without ever teaching a class, but it’s a lot harder.
A blog is a great way to get your name out there and make money online in Ethiopia in the process. Create content that is valuable to your audience:
People don’t want to pay a lot of money for something they can find online for free. You have to make sure that your content is valuable enough that people are willing to pay for it.
Partner with online tutoring companies: Once you’ve established yourself as an online tutor, you can also partner with online tutoring companies.
They’ll pay you per student, and you can make money online in Ethiopia with very little effort.
15. Design a website for an organization
There are hundreds of Ethiopian website designers (both freelancers and organizations) who are making money online by designing a website for companies. To mention some
- Hahu Cloud
- Sheger Tech
- Alpha IT Solution
- Website designers at Yegara host are the most known website designing firms found in Ethiopia.
You can earn as much as 25,000 ETB with little or no cost to you. Especially if you have already bought premium themes like DIVI, you can design as many websites as with no additional cost to you. That means you are selling your experience and service for a higher price which is a wonderful way of to make money online in Ethiopia.
I am not saying it is easy if you have no previous experience. But you can learn it with patience. in my case 2 years ago I had no idea what a website was. Through time with a lot of trial and error, I manage to build more than 10 websites. I already buy the Divi theme so it is much easier to build a website now. But it is time-consuming and you need to have a lot of patience with your customer because your taste might be different from theirs.
So to get started you need to have
- An experience or basic knowledge of web hosting and WordPress
- A good eye for design
- It is better if you have a premium theme since they are more customizable and unique
- You need to advertise yourself to get new customers. For example – you may need your website where you showcase your previous work and plan & price of your service or you might need to register on freelance sites like Fiverr for example.
16. Make and Sell Apps Online in Ethiopia
Developing and selling apps is an amazing way to increase your revenue incrementally by working from home.
All you need is a little bit of skill, the desire to work long hours on app development and maintenance, and of course, a smartphone, laptop, or PC.
There are ample sources online, such as tutorials that can help you design and develop applications that work for tablets or smartphones.
The hardest aspect of this venture is getting a great idea that interests users enough to make them want to download your app onto their devices.
Keep in mind, if you develop an app like RIDE, you could stand to make an estimated 588,236 USD or 20,000,000 ETB a month (according to some sources)!
There are many options available that offer drag-and-drop or in other words, easily customizable mobile app builders, some of them are, Firebase (owned by Google) or BuildFire.
The best part of this is that you can create an app all by yourself without having to learn computer coding. You should use these options if you are going to develop an app that does basic things for business, such as a normal e-commerce shop, or an app for information and communication.
If you want to develop an app in Ethiopia that has unique elements and features, then you will have to consider working with a development team or give it a go, on your own, by doing the coding.
Here are some steps to take into consideration when developing an app for iOS or apple devices through basic coding.
- Sign up with the Apple Developer Program to receive all the resources you need to begin to create your app on iOS and OSX.
- You can test and develop your iOS apps on iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone with the latest iOS SDK. Furthermore, the iOS development center provides you with an excellent platform to examine and test your apps directly on the devices.
- You can then distribute your apps for free or as paid versions through the Apple App Store.
- You can increase your revenue by adding in-app purchases, while also attempting to market your app to increase downloads by showing your ads on other websites and basic SEO practices.
17. Blogging
You might be surprised to see blogging on a list of online money-making activities. But with the right strategy, it can be a very effective way to make money online.
Blogging can be done on any topic. You can write about your life experiences, your favorite hobbies, or even write about your profession.
If you have a blog, there are a few ways you can make money:
Sell ads on your blog: If you have a popular blog, you can make money by allowing advertisers to place ads on your site.
Bloggers have been doing this for years, and it’s a great way to make a consistent income from blogging.
Sell digital or physical products: You can make money from your blog in a few other ways, too. You can sell your own products, like eBooks, online courses, and more.
You can also sell products from other companies, like Amazon products.
Partner with other companies: If you want to make money blogging but don’t have an audience yet, you can partner with other companies to make money with your blog.