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ouagadougou coworking & cafe survival guide (from a burnt-out consultant)

@Liam Foster2/7/2026blog

so you’re in ouagadougou and need a spot with reliable power and wi-fi that doesn’t make you want to scream into your laptop fan. cool. i’ve been here on and off for a consulting gig that drained my soul, and i tested every place with a plug and a pulse. forget “vibrant” or “nestled.” this is about not losing your work to the next blackout.

first, the brutal numbers: average rent for a one-bedroom in the city center is around 150,000 cfa/month (≈$250). if you’re budgeting, that’s your anchor. a coffee here costs 500-1,000 cfa, which adds up fast when you’re living out of cafes. safety? it’s generally okay by day-just don’t flash gadgets in crowded markets like * marché de nuit and avoid walking alone after dark in the zone du bois area. standard west africa urban stuff.

the weather right now? harmattan. imagine a fine, red dust that coats everything and makes the sun a dull coin in a dirty sky. it gets in your throat, your keyboard, your hope. neighbors? Bamako’s a short flight away if you need to escape to a different kind of chaos. Accra’s two hours by air if you crave slightly more stable internet and avocado toast.

deep dive: places that won’t fail you (most of the time)



coworking giants vs hidden holes. the big names like kumasi hub (yes, it’s named after ghana, don’t ask) have backup generators, ac, and a parking lot that feels like a mirage after navigating ouaga’s dust roads. membership’s stiff-about 40,000 cfa/month-but your Dell charger will thank you. the crowd is mostly ngo expats and remote tech bros who talk too loud about “scaling impact.”

but the real gold is often the cafes that doubled as coworking spots by accident. café de la poste near the central post office? their wi-fi is a shaky promise, but the coffee’s strong and the tables are wide. i’ve closed deals there while a generator coughed in the background. rumor has it the owner pays the electric company under the table to keep the line active during national blackouts. drunk advice from a french expat: “always sit near the back-closer to the router’s weird antenna.”

data table: my actual coffee spend vs sanity saved (rough estimates):
spotdaily cost (cfa)power reliabilitycrowd noise level
kumasi hub5,000 (membership)9/106/10 (chatty)
café de la poste1,2005/104/10 (chill)
jardin de l’ambassade1,8007/108/10 (brunch rush)
le tranquille (hidden)9003/102/10 (library hush)


note: “le tranquille” has zero backup power. come with a full battery or a book. it’s basically a reading room with bad lighting. but when the grid’s up? silent perfection.

overheard gossip at jardin de l’ambassade last tuesday: “the new german consultant got his laptop fried during a surge. they still charged him for the tartiflette.” true story? who cares. it’s a warning.

where the locals actually go (and why you shouldn’t always follow)



sogetel cafe in the mobra neighborhood is a legend. it’s where burkinabé journalists and students camp out. wi-fi is “okay” by local standards-meaning it works for whatsapp and light browsing, not for video calls. i tried to join a zoom meeting there and looked like a muted ghost. but the ambiance? the hum of french and mooré, the smell of grilled fish from the next door stand… it’s the real ouaga. just bring a 4g dongle as backup. see this reddit thread where someone detailed the mobile network speeds (Orange is best, Moov is a gamble).

chez fadiga in kamsong is another hybrid. it’s a restaurant first, but the back room has power strips galore. the catch: they close at 10pm sharp, even if you’re in the zone. i’ve been politely evicted while drafting a slide deck. still, the menu’s cheap and the chicken is legit. check their yelp for the spicy LEVEL warning-i learned the hard way.

the airport rule & final rant



if you have a deadline and the city’s power is playing roulette, go to aéroport international thomas sankara*. not the departures area (though that works too), but the small cafe landside near arrival. they have dedicated generator power, decent ac, and wi-fi that’s stable enough for导出大文件. it’s soulless, but so are missed deadlines. i’ve seen freelancers camped there with suitcases as chairs. tripadvisor mentions it as “surprisingly functional,” which is the highest praise you’ll get here.

look, ouagadougou isn’t built for digital nomad dreams. it’s a city of resilience, dust, and sudden darkness. your perfect spot will be the one that works today. tomorrow? who knows. pack a power bank, tip the generator guy, and for god’s sake, don’t trust a cafe that promises “always on.” nothing’s always on here. not even the water.

laptop in a dusty cafe

street scene with power lines

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About the author: Liam Foster

Here to provoke thought, not just to fill space.

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