Teaching in many developing and developed countries of the world is a stimulating, satisfying and rewarding career that provides the opportunity to influence and shape many lives. However, in many African countries, especially in the remote rural communities, the reverse is the case. This is largely due to the challenges facing teachers and teaching in rural schools, which do not exist in urban or sub-urban areas. Apart from the inconvenience arising from the geographic isolation experienced by teachers in many rural schools, there are also problems of poor conditions of service, poor remuneration of teachers, delay in payment of salaries, lack of adequate resources, and poor community involvement. Furthermore, many rural schools are confronted with the problem of dilapidated infrastructure, lack of up to date textbooks and resources. Consequently, efforts to attract and retain competent and qualified teachers in rural schools, to a very large extent, have become a problem to policy makers and educational managers. The effects of this on the general performance of students cannot be overemphasized. Students' test scores in many rural schools across the continent of Africa show a poor performance than that of their urban counterparts. This situation calls for urgent attention; otherwise, achieving the Education for All (EFA) goals and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will continue to elude the continent and the endemic backwardness prevalent in many African countries and indeed in the rural areas will continue unabated. This study has critically examined the challenges facing teachers and teaching across African countries and recommends strategies for improving the situation.