The verdict in three sentences
A Dakar construction company running 40 site meetings a week across 12 projects can cut the time to write a set of minutes from 2 hours to 20 minutes with an AI transcription and structuring pipeline. Transcription in French and Wolof is now usable, provided you plan a human review and a decent microphone. API costs stay between 50,000 and 300,000 FCFA per month (about 76 to 457 EUR), and Kolonell development ranges from 2.5M to 15M+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR) depending on complexity.
The real cost of handwritten minutes
On a site in Dakar, Diamniadio or Thiès, the weekly meeting brings together the client, the inspection firm, subcontractors and the site manager. Conversation switches between French and Wolof mid-sentence, decisions pile up, and the site manager writes up the minutes in the evening from handwritten notes. Minutes go out two or three days late, snag items are poorly tracked, and disputes with subcontractors feed on the gaps.
| Indicator | Before AI | With AI (target) |
|---|---|---|
| Writing time per set of minutes | 2 h | 20 min of review |
| Time to distribution | 2 to 3 days | Same day |
| Actions with owner and deadline | About 50% | Over 90% |
| Snag items tracked meeting to meeting | Manual, frequent misses | Automatic table per project |
| Writing hours per week (40 meetings) | 80 h | 13 h |
| Finding a past decision | 15 to 30 min | Under 2 min |
How the AI pipeline works
The meeting is recorded on a smartphone or a conference microphone on the table. The audio is transcribed in French and Wolof, then a language model structures the text into the company's minutes template: attendees, progress by work package, decisions, actions with owner and date, snag items, blocking issues, next meeting. The site manager reviews, corrects and approves; the document is then sent as a PDF to participants and feeds an action-tracking dashboard per project.
Wolof remains the tricky part. In 2026 transcription models recognize it, but with more errors than French, especially on technical vocabulary and proper names. The practical approach is to transcribe, then translate into French for the minutes, with a domain glossary (work packages, materials, company names) injected into the processing.
| Item | Assumption | 2026 ballpark |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription and structuring API | 40 one-hour meetings a week | 50,000 to 300,000 FCFA per month |
| Conference microphone per team | 6 to 12 devices | 60,000 to 150,000 FCFA each |
| Kolonell development, simple scope | Recording, transcription, minutes template | 2.5M to 4M FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) |
| Kolonell development, medium scope | Action and snag tracking, dashboard | 4M to 7M FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) |
| Kolonell development, complex scope | ERP integration, per-project rights, offline | 7M to 15M+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) |
| Application maintenance | Monitoring and updates | 35,000 / 75,000 / 120,000 FCFA per month |
Anything else (specific hosting, out-of-scope integrations) is priced on quote.
Field pitfalls
Site noise badly degrades transcription: hold the meeting in the site office, not next to the crane. Inform participants that the meeting is recorded, in line with Senegal's 2008-12 personal data law, and set an audio retention period, for example 90 days. Plan an offline mode: recording works without network and upload starts as soon as 4G returns.
Adoption is the other risk. Site managers who have written minutes by hand for fifteen years will only trust the tool if the first drafts are good. Start with the two most disciplined teams, measure review time per meeting for two weeks, and share the numbers internally. When the review drops below 20 minutes on those pilots, rolling out to the remaining 10 projects becomes a request from the field rather than an order from headquarters.
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Moussa, technical director of a construction company in Dakar, oversees 12 projects and 40 meetings a week. Before: 40 × 2 h = 80 hours of writing a week. After: 40 × 20 min = 13.3 hours. Savings: about 66.7 hours a week, or 2,900 hours a year over 44 active weeks. At a fully loaded 8,000 FCFA per hour for a site manager, that is roughly 23,200,000 FCFA (about 35,400 EUR) of freed time a year. With a medium-scope build at 6,000,000 FCFA and 200,000 FCFA a month in API (2,400,000 FCFA a year), the investment pays back in under 5 months, before counting disputes avoided thanks to traceable snag lists.
FAQ
Is Wolof transcription reliable?
It is usable but less accurate than French, with a higher error rate on technical terms. A domain glossary and a 15 to 20 minute review are enough in practice.
Do we need internet on site?
Not for recording: the app works offline and uploads the audio once the network returns. A one-hour meeting weighs about 30 to 60 MB.
Are recordings kept?
Retention is configurable, for example 90 days for audio, while the approved minutes are archived for the full project and the ten-year warranty period.
How long does deployment take?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks for a medium scope, with a 2-week pilot on 2 projects before rollout.
Can we keep our current minutes template?
Yes, the company template is used as the layout, with its sections and header. Formatting is validated during the pilot.
Let's scope your project. We define a two-site pilot, your minutes template and snag tracking with you within a few weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
