The official digital ecosystem for Kernel, providing comprehensive HRTech solutions including EOR, payroll, and recruitment services across Africa.

Which countries can you set up entities in?

All 54 countries of Africa. We operate directly in our priority markets and activate a selected legal partner network across the rest of the continent, with the same orchestration quality and the same single Kernel contact.

How long does a subsidiary setup take?

Expect 4 to 12 weeks for a standard SARL or SA, depending on country and sector approvals. Our initial scoping gives you a realistic schedule, country by country, with critical milestones identified.

Can you advise on taxation?

At the strategic scoping stage, we surface the structuring tax issues: exit taxation, bilateral tax treaties, foreign shareholder taxation, treasury structuring. For technical topics, we coordinate with a local tax partner in the target country.

Can we start in EOR and switch to our entity?

Yes, it is the most common path. You hire through Kernel EOR Africa during scoping and incorporation, and we transfer the contracts to your entity as soon as it is operational, with no break, no loss of seniority and no payroll interruption.

Who is legally responsible for the deliverable?

Legal advice in the strict sense is provided by the partner law firm or notary in the country. Kernel is responsible for coordination, timeline follow-up, overall quality and articulation with other Kernel services. The exact scope is defined in the service contract.

What happens after the entity is set up?

Kernel HR & Payroll, Recruit, Office, IT and Platform services take over on the scope you choose. You keep the same contact, the same platform, the same framework agreement, and benefit from volume tiering on recurring services.

Can you handle multi-country setups in parallel?

Yes. Several clients incorporate in two to four countries simultaneously, leveraging the same Kernel team and a single scoping exercise. Governance is dedicated and quarterly in that case.

Local entity setup in Africa

Set up your African subsidiary without navigating 54 legal systems alone.

You have validated your market, your first contracts are signed, your first EOR hires are running. Time to anchor a local entity. Kernel Incorporate handles the entire journey: strategic scoping, legal form, registration, bank account, sector approvals, first operations. One single point of contact, with the same standard across the 54 countries of Africa.

Scope my entity project See pricing

Articles of association

KERNEL SAMPLE LTD

Private limited company

Article 1 — Form and purpose
Article 2 — Registered office
Article 3 — Share capital

Signed today

Trade register

Articles signed

ScopingIncorporationLaunch

African countries covered by our selected legal network

4 to 12 wks

average incorporation timeline, depending on country and legal form

single Kernel contact, from scoping to first operations

Ecosystem

Three ecosystems we operate for you, in every country.

Setting up a local entity is far more than filing articles. You need to know the administration, the banking system, the reliable legal firms, the competent tax advisors, the local practices that save or waste weeks. Kernel does not outsource this to an aggregator: we operate directly, with a vetted network monitored over time and physically present in the country.

I
Local administration
Deep familiarity with registers and authorities.
Commercial court clerks, trade and company registers, tax authorities, investment promotion agencies, professional bodies: our teams or partners operate daily with each country’s administration. We know which counter, which document, which order, in which realistic timeframe.
II
Legal and notarial counsel
Selected law firms and notaries, monitored over time.
Our legal partners are selected for their local corporate law expertise, their ability to work in French or English with your legal team, their real availability, and their experience with foreign investors. Kernel remains the orchestrator: we drive, we arbitrate, we hold timelines.
III
Tax and accounting expertise
Accounting and tax aligned from day one.
Local chart of accounts, optimal tax regime, start-up filings, treasury structuring: an accounting partner is mobilised from incorporation onward, so your entity does not start with technical debt. We coordinate the handover with your finance team and your statutory auditor if applicable.

Our legal and accounting partners are independent local firms. Kernel is responsible for coordination, follow-up and overall delivery quality, not for legal or tax advice in the strict sense.

Journey

A partner who supports you before, during and after entity setup.

Incorporating is rarely the right first step. Most of our clients test the market first in EOR or COR, validate traction, then move to a local entity at the right moment. We operate this continuity without disruption.

Phase 1
Test the market
First hire through EOR Africa for an employee, or COR for a contractor. The talent works, you measure commercial, operational and cultural traction. No structural commitment, no capital locked.
See Kernel EOR/COR Africa
Phase 2
Find your footing
You build the local team (Kernel Recruit), set up your people (Kernel Office, Kernel IT), study exit taxation and target governance. The decision to incorporate is taken on factual ground, not hypothetical.
Use case: explore an African market
Phase 3Incorpore
Set up your local entity
Kernel Incorporate takes over: strategic scoping, legal form, articles, registration, bank account, sector approvals if required. You keep your Kernel contact, your project does not restart from scratch.
Phase 4
Transfer your contracts
Employees hired through EOR or COR are transferred to your new entity, with no contract break, no loss of seniority, no payroll interruption. Kernel HR & Payroll keeps running payroll and compliance, now for your subsidiary.
See Kernel HR & Payroll

Locations

Your first incorporation grounds, among the 54 countries of Africa.

Kernel operates across the 54 countries of the continent and remains neutral on the target country: we help you choose based on your customer base, taxation, available talent and regulatory risk tolerance. Below are five frequently chosen geographies, for illustration only.

AbidjanFocus

01CI

Ivory Coast

Historical gateway to French-speaking West Africa. OHADA-harmonised business law, centralised filings at CEPICI, direct access to the UEMOA market.

Legal system: OHADA
Capital: Yamoussoukro
Currency: XOF

Lagos

02NG

Nigeria

Deepest market on the continent.

Common lawNGN

Casablanca

03MA

Morocco

Financial hub bridging Europe and West Africa.

Civil lawMAD

Nairobi

04KE

Kenya

Tech and innovation pole of East Africa.

Common lawKES

Johannesburg

05ZA

South Africa

Industrial and corporate pivot of Southern Africa.

Common lawZAR

See all 54 covered countries

Process

Five steps, one deliverable: an operational, compliant entity.

Every project follows a proven sequence, adjusted to the target country, the chosen legal form, and your group constraints. At every step, you know who does what, by when, and at what cost.

01
Strategic scoping
We formalise your project: target country, activity, group structure, taxation, governance, calendar, headquarters constraints. We surface potential frictions upstream, where they cost little to resolve.
1 to 2 weeks
02
Legal form selection
SARL, SA, branch, representative office, regional structure: we arbitrate with your legal team based on applicable taxation, minimum capital, foreign shareholding rules and sector approvals.
1 week
03
Incorporation
Drafting and validation of articles, capital deposit, publication formalities, registration with local registers, allocation of the tax identification number. The legal partner drafts, Kernel drives timelines.
3 to 6 weeks
04
Bank account and ramp-up
Local bank account opening, sector approvals if required, set up of start-up tax filings, accounting tools configuration. The entity is ready to sign contracts and hire directly.
2 to 4 weeks
05
Operational launch
Transfer of EOR employees to your new entity, handover with your local accountant, connection to Kernel HR & Payroll, Recruit, Office, IT as needed. No break, no empty period.
1 to 3 weeks

Indicative total8 to 16 weeks depending on country and legal form

Scope

What Kernel Incorporate covers.

A precise scope, no blind spots. Every deliverable is documented in the quote and tracked throughout the project, from initial scoping to the first three months of operations.

Scoping and structuring

Legal and tax feasibility study of the target country
Recommendation of the legal form suited to your group
Calibration of share capital and governance
Analysis of foreign shareholding rules
Identification of sector approvals if any

Incorporation and registration

Coordination with a selected local legal partner
Drafting, review and signature of articles
Capital deposit and publication formalities
Registration with the local trade register
Tax and social identifiers obtained

Operational launch

Bank account opening support
Sector approvals if required
Local accounting partner set up
Seamless transfer of EOR contracts to the entity
Continuity with Kernel HR & Payroll services

Pricing

Entity setup is quoted on a brief. Every country, every legal form, every sector has its specifics: we price after strategic scoping, with no heavy RFP procedure.

Project-basedPricing tailored to country, legal form and project complexity

Kernel quote shared shortly after initial scoping
Local legal fees, registration costs and official taxes itemised line by line
Option to run in Kernel EOR while the entity is being set up, with no orchestration overhead
No volume commitment on post-incorporation Kernel services

Devis projet

Cadrage rapide, ligne par ligne, sans engagement.

Honoraires juridiques, frais officiels, agréments, démarrage opérationnel : chaque poste est documenté pour faciliter votre décision et la passation interne.

Request a detailed quote See the full pricing grid

Kernel continuity

Before, during, after: Kernel remains your single point of contact.

Incorporation is never an end in itself. Your teams still need to recruit, get paid, be equipped, stay compliant. Kernel services chain together seamlessly, on the same platform, with the same contact.

Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions on entity setup.

All 54 countries of Africa. We operate directly in our priority markets and activate a selected legal partner network across the rest of the continent, with the same orchestration quality and the same single Kernel contact.

The next step

Scope your African entity with a Kernel expert.

An initial conversation with a Kernel expert is enough to clarify the target country, the legal form, a realistic schedule and the articulation with teams already in place or to come. You leave with a structured view and a fast detailed quote.

Talk to an expert See the full use case

Set up your African subsidiary without navigating 54 legal systems alone.

Three ecosystems we operate for you, in every country.

Deep familiarity with registers and authorities.

Selected law firms and notaries, monitored over time.

Accounting and tax aligned from day one.

A partner who supports you before, during and after entity setup.

Test the market

Find your footing

Set up your local entity

Transfer your contracts