The verdict in three sentences
In Saint-Louis, seafood buyers, tour operators and subcontractors of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas project increasingly work in English, and a manager who negotiates in his second language against a native speaker often gives ground on price for lack of words. Useful English is not school English: it is formal emails, figures, an offer presentation and a negotiation conducted without losing face. A focused 34-hour course costs 100,000 FCFA, the equivalent of 5 to 10 hours of private lessons.
Why business English pays in Saint-Louis in 2026
The city lives on three outward-facing sectors: exports of fish and processed products to European, Ghanaian or Asian buyers, tourism (Langue de Barbarie, Djoudj, the jazz festival) with a growing English-speaking clientele, and the offshore gas ecosystem that subcontracts logistics, catering, transport and maintenance. Here are common situations and what they are worth, as 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Situation | Typical stake | What poor English costs |
|---|---|---|
| Negotiating a fish export contract | 20-tonne lot, 30 to 60 million FCFA | 3 to 5% discount conceded, 1 to 3 million FCFA |
| Answering a gas subcontracting tender | Contract of 10 to 50 million FCFA | Bid rejected as non-compliant |
| Selling a stay to an English-speaking tour operator | 40 to 120 room-nights per season | Contract lost to a competing hotel |
| Presenting a project to a donor | Grant of 15 to 80 million FCFA | Technical note judged unclear |
| Handling a client complaint by email | Client loyal for 3 years | Relationship damaged by an awkward tone |
| Bilingual job interview | Job paying 400,000 to 700,000 FCFA | Application rejected |
On the job market, a bilingual salesperson or project manager in Senegal is generally paid 100,000 to 300,000 FCFA more per month than an equivalent French-only profile. The amount depends on sector and network, and nothing is guaranteed.
Learning business English: options and prices
| Option | 2026 price | What you get | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free apps (Duolingo, podcasts) | Free | General vocabulary | Nothing on formal emails or negotiation |
| Private lessons in Saint-Louis | 10,000 to 20,000 FCFA an hour | Individual attention | 30 hours cost 300,000 to 600,000 FCFA |
| Language institute (quarterly session) | 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA | Group, possible certification | General English, fixed hours |
| In-company training | 500,000 FCFA and up | Tailored content | Only for large organisations |
| Kolonell Academy, Business English | 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR / 175 USD), 34 h | 8 projects, business file, certificate | B1 level required |
| Professional English track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | From beginner to expert English | Several months |
The course Business English: presentations, negotiation and documents, taught in French, is level 4 (Intermediate) of the Professional English track. It has 8 modules, 40 lessons, 136 corrected exercises and 8 projects.
| Module | Deliverable at the end |
|---|---|
| Plain English and formal emails | 10 ready-to-use formal emails |
| Minutes, memos and reports | A two-page report |
| Business and finance vocabulary | A 250-term glossary |
| Sales presentations and pitch | 10 slides and a recorded pitch |
| Negotiation | A complete negotiation plan |
| Tenders and contracts | A tender response |
The final file, validated by a trainer, unlocks the certificate verifiable online.
Mini case study
Ousmane, 38, sales manager at a fish processing company in Saint-Louis, negotiates twice a year with a Ghanaian importer. Last year, lacking comebacks, he accepted a 4% discount on a 40 million FCFA lot, which is 1,600,000 FCFA.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
He takes the 100,000 FCFA course, paid via Wave, over 10 weeks at 3.5 hours a week. With a prepared negotiation plan and costed arguments in English, he limits the next discount to 2%. Gain: 800,000 FCFA on a single negotiation, 8 times the course price. An illustrative example: a negotiation's outcome also depends on the market.
FAQ
What level do I need?
B1: you understand the gist of a conversation and write simple sentences. Below that, start with level 3, Conversational English, of the same track.
How much time does it take?
The course takes about 34 hours. At 3 to 4 hours a week, count 9 to 12 weeks, compatible with a full-time job.
Are Ghanaian or Nigerian accents covered?
Yes, each lesson includes listening with varied accents, including West African, British and American ones. That is essential with partners from the region.
Is it useful for international tenders?
Yes, a full module teaches you to read and answer a tender or contract. Donor and gas subcontracting contracts often exceed 10 million FCFA.
Does the course guarantee a raise?
No, no job or income is guaranteed. The 100,000 to 300,000 FCFA monthly gap for a bilingual profile is an order of magnitude observed in 2026.
Take the next step. Enroll in Business English: presentations, negotiation and documents: 34 hours, 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR), verifiable certificate, taught in French. 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.
