The verdict in three sentences
HTML and CSS remain the cheapest entry into a web career: no paid software, a modest computer is enough. For a young person in Mbour or Saly, a 12-hour course at 50,000 FCFA is enough to code a responsive multi-page showcase site and put it online. With a domain at 10,000 FCFA a year and hosting at 2,000 FCFA a month, the first client easily covers the investment, as a 2026 order of magnitude.
A concrete local market: the Petite-Côte
From Mbour to Somone through Saly, Ngaparou and Nianing, the Petite-Côte has dozens of hotels, furnished residences, restaurants, surf schools, pharmacies and hardware stores. Many only have a Facebook page or a Google listing, while their customers, tourists and weekend visitors from Dakar, look for prices and photos on mobile before booking. A clean, fast, phone-friendly showcase site is still a real need.
The course HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website is level 2 Practical, 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR), for 12 hours of content, taught in French. You learn semantic HTML, Flexbox, Grid, responsive design, image optimisation and deployment, on the case of a real small business.
| Option to learn | 2026 cost | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolonell course, level 2 Practical | 50,000 FCFA | 12 h online | Complete live showcase site, certificate |
| Training centre in Mbour or Thiès | 100,000 to 250,000 FCFA | 1 to 3 months | In person, fixed hours |
| Vocational training in Dakar | 300,000 to 600,000 FCFA | 3 to 6 months | Plus Mbour-Dakar transport |
| Free YouTube tutorials | 0 FCFA (excluding data) | Open-ended | No guided project or feedback |
| Full Kolonell track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | About 70 h | Up to full-stack development |
What a showcase site costs and earns in Mbour
Here are the cost items of a client site and the freelance prices seen on the Petite-Côte. These are 2026 estimates, to adapt to each client.
| Item | Indicative 2026 amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| .com or .sn domain name | About 10,000 FCFA/year | The client, in their name |
| Basic shared hosting | 2,000 FCFA/month (24,000 FCFA/year) | The client |
| 3 to 5 page showcase site | 100,000 to 250,000 FCFA | Your service price |
| Hotel rates page and photo gallery | 50,000 to 100,000 FCFA as an option | The client |
| Monthly updates | 10,000 to 25,000 FCFA/month | The client |
| Your second-hand computer | 120,000 to 200,000 FCFA | You, once |
The realistic time to first income is 3 to 8 weeks: 2 to 3 weeks to complete the 12 hours and finish the project, then a few visits to local businesses. Next, the Web development track continues with JavaScript, React and Next.js, to target better-paid work.
Mini case study
Fatou, 20, recent high school graduate in Mbour, knows a few HTML tags. She pays 50,000 FCFA for the course with Wave and completes it in 3 weeks, 4 hours a week. She then offers a residence in Saly a 4-page site with room photos, rates and a WhatsApp button for 150,000 FCFA, plus 15,000 FCFA a month for updates. The client pays for the domain and hosting, 34,000 FCFA in the first year. Calculation: 150,000 - 50,000 = 100,000 FCFA margin on the first site, and 180,000 FCFA a year in updates if the client stays, as a 2026 order of magnitude.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
FAQ
Do I need to know how to code already?
Having written a few tags is enough. If you start from absolute zero, the level 1 Discover web code course at 25,000 FCFA prepares you in 4 to 6 hours.
Can I follow the course on a phone?
The videos can be watched on a phone, but you need a computer to code. A second-hand laptop at 120,000 FCFA is enough.
How long to deliver a site to a client?
After the course, allow 5 to 10 days of work for a 3 to 5 page site, depending on how fast the client sends texts and photos.
In whose name should the domain be bought?
Always in the client's name, so they remain the owner. The course explains how to do it properly, for about 10,000 FCFA a year.
Why take the full track?
The 5 levels cost 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 and take you up to web applications, billed 800,000 FCFA and more per project.
Take the next step. Enroll in HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website: 12 hours online, 50,000 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.
