Hey, I'm from Nigeria in West-Africa also self taught and learned about remote jobs. It's really easy to get one especially in Europe. You just have to know your stuff, pick a technology and focus on it. It pays to be a T-shaped individual i.e know a technology very well and a little bit of others. I have worked successfully as a remote developer for a startup in Stuttgart, Germany and currently relocating to Berlin to work at a Bigger(IPO'd) company as a front-end engineer.
There are tons of startups looking for remote devs. Most times to the employers the pay is really cheap, but when converted to your local currency you are a millionaire and you can live the good life and pursue bigger opportunites like I did. Spend the money by investing in yourself. Buy programming books, pay for courses. Just keep getting better.
Most of Africa is shut-out from the technological advancement happening in the world but you can be a part of it by taking advantage of the internet, using your financial resources to learn a lot and fill knowledge gaps in your skills. You will discover once you start seeking out remote dev opportunities that there is a lot to learn.