The verdict in three sentences
In Dakar in 2026, an SME manager or assistant who prepares every sales proposal by hand, chases clients one by one and copies the same figures into three reports often loses 5 to 10 hours per week on tasks a no-code tool can chain on its own. The Kolonell course Automating your work with AI, without writing code, taught in French, costs 100,000 FCFA for 20 hours and has you build a complete automated process, plus a portfolio of 8 automations. It is level 4 Career of the AI track: it assumes you already use an AI assistant methodically.
Tasks you can automate without programming
The tools covered in the course (custom AI assistants, Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, Gmail, forms and WhatsApp Business) connect to each other by drag and drop. Here are the most profitable flows for a Dakar SME.
| Repetitive task | Automated flow | Time saved per week (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Writing a price proposal | Client form, AI drafts, PDF generated from a template | 2 to 3 h |
| Chasing unanswered proposals | Scheduled Gmail follow-up at D+3 and D+7 | 1 to 2 h |
| Logging requests received on WhatsApp | Message filed in Google Sheets | 1 h |
| Weekly sales report | Sheet updated and AI summary sent on Monday | 1 to 2 h |
| Answering frequent questions | AI assistant fed with your product sheets | 1 to 2 h |
| Tracking Wave and Orange Money payments | Reconciliation in a sheet, alert if unpaid | 1 h |
| Sorting incoming emails | Labels and AI reply drafts | 0.5 to 1 h |
The course also stresses documentation and security: who has access to what, what to do if a flow breaks, which data never to send to an AI.
What the course and tools cost
The amounts below are 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kolonell course, level 4 Career | 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR), 20 h | Kolonell Academy certificate, taught in French |
| In-person AI workshop in Dakar | 150,000 to 350,000 FCFA | 1 to 2 days, often without follow-up |
| Free online tutorials | 0 FCFA | In English, no African SME cases |
| Make or Zapier, free plan | 0 FCFA | Enough for 2 to 5 simple flows |
| Make or Zapier, paid plan | 10 to 30 USD per month (about 6,000 to 18,000 FCFA) | For higher volumes |
| Paid AI assistant | About 20 USD per month (12,000 FCFA) | Optional at first |
| Google Workspace | 4,000 to 8,000 FCFA per user per month | Professional Gmail and Sheets |
The course is part of the Artificial intelligence track, whose 5 levels cost 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA bought separately. If you are new to AI, the earlier levels lay the foundations of prompt writing.
What the skill is worth on the market
| Profile in Dakar | Situation (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|
| Executive assistant | 250,000 to 450,000 FCFA per month, automation is a real plus in interviews |
| Customer service officer | 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA per month, more cases handled per day |
| SME manager | Time saved reinvested in sales |
| Automation freelancer | 75,000 to 300,000 FCFA per flow delivered to an SME |
| Community manager | Automated scheduling and reports, 2 to 4 more clients handled |
No income is guaranteed: these figures depend on your sector and your ability to sell your automations.
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Fatou, 34, runs an event equipment rental business in Dakar with two employees. She spent about 8 hours per week writing price proposals and chasing clients on WhatsApp. After the course, she sets up a form, an automatically generated template and two scheduled follow-ups: the work drops to 2 hours. She values her time at 5,000 FCFA per hour. Calculation: 6 hours saved × 5,000 FCFA = 30,000 FCFA per week, plus 12,000 FCFA per month in subscriptions. The 100,000 FCFA course pays for itself in about four weeks. This scenario is illustrative.
FAQ
Do I need to know how to code?
No, all flows are built without code, by drag and drop. You do need to be comfortable with Google Sheets and an AI assistant, which levels 1 to 3 of the track teach.
How long before a first useful automation?
Most learners deliver a first simple flow, such as an automatic follow-up, within the first 5 hours. The complete process comes towards the end of the 20 hours.
Are the tools paid?
Make, Zapier and Google Sheets have free plans that are enough to start. Allow 10 to 30 USD per month if your volumes grow.
Is my client data safe?
The course devotes a module to security: separate accounts, limited access, and no sensitive data sent to an AI. Senegal's Law 2008-12 on personal data applies to your client files.
How do I pay for enrollment?
By Wave or Orange Money, in one go. Access to the course opens as soon as payment is confirmed.
Take the next step. Enroll in Automating your work with AI, without writing code: 20 hours, 100,000 FCFA, Kolonell Academy certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? 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.
