Kernel

Kernel is a French HRTech Employer of Record platform that helps international companies hire, manage, and pay employees and contractors across all 54 African countries without setting up local entities. You engage Kernel as the legal employer or contractor-of-record, and use its web platform and services for compliant contracts, onboarding, payroll, and HR administration tailored to each country in Africa.

Kernel uses a paid model, with publicly mentioned packages starting from 599€/month for companies hiring in Africa without a local entity and typically managing 1–10 employees. For precise pricing based on country mix, headcount, and services (EOR, contractors, payroll), you need to request a tailored quote from Kernel.

Kernel operates across all 54 African countries, providing Employer of Record, contractor-of-record, and multi-country payroll services throughout the African continent. This pan-African coverage is a core part of the service offering.

To get started with Kernel, you typically contact the team through the website to discuss your hiring and payroll needs, then they set up your account and local arrangements before you onboard employees or contractors through the platform. Sign-up is handled as a B2B engagement rather than a self-serve consumer registration.

Kernel is best suited for international companies, especially startups and SMBs, that need to hire and manage employees or contractors in one or more African countries without creating local entities. It is particularly useful for small distributed teams (for example 1–10 employees) and for businesses planning multi-country expansion across Africa.