The verdict in three sentences
For a MICE agency managing 6 congresses a year with 800 to 2,500 attendees each, a custom registration platform costs between 10,000,000 and 22,000,000 FCFA in 2026 (EUR 15,000 to 33,500), attendee app included. International platforms charge EUR 4 to 7 per attendee (2,600 to 4,600 FCFA) plus 2.5 to 3.5% payment fees, i.e. 25 to 45 million FCFA a year for 9,000 attendees. An owned tool pays back in 12 to 24 months and becomes a commercial asset: white label, Wave, Orange Money and card payments, data kept by the agency. A comparable build by a Dubai agency typically quotes 2 to 3 times higher.
What the platform includes and what each block costs
An international congress in Dakar mixes local delegates paying by mobile money, institutions paying by bank transfer and foreign attendees paying by card in euros or dollars. 2026 order of magnitude:
| Block | Range FCFA (excl. tax) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-rate registration forms (member, non-member, student, exhibitor) | 1,800,000 to 3,500,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Multi-currency payment: Wave, Orange Money, EUR/USD card, transfer with proforma invoice | 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| QR badges, on-site printing, per-room access control | 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Attendee app (programme, speakers, map, notifications) as a PWA | 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Abstracts, speakers and parallel sessions management | 1,200,000 to 3,000,000 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Hotels, transfers and visas (automatic invitation letters) | 800,000 to 2,000,000 | 2 weeks |
| Back office, accounting exports, per-congress dashboards | 700,000 to 1,500,000 | 2 weeks |
That is 10,000,000 FCFA for a registration plus payment plus badges core, up to 22,000,000 FCFA with a full app, abstracts management and visa module. Cloud hosting and maintenance: 150,000 to 400,000 FCFA a month.
Market platform or owned tool: the 3-year math
| 3-year item (9,000 attendees a year) | International platform | Custom platform |
|---|---|---|
| Licence or per-attendee fee | EUR 4 to 7, i.e. 70 to 124 million FCFA | 0 |
| Payment fees | 2.5 to 3.5% on cards only | 1% Wave, 1.5 to 2% Orange Money, 2.9% card |
| Initial development | 0 | 10 to 22 million FCFA |
| Hosting and maintenance | Included | 5.4 to 14.4 million FCFA |
| Local mobile money | Rarely native | Native, Wave and Orange Money |
| Brand and attendee data | Third-party platform | 100% agency |
| Estimated 3-year total | 70 to 124 million FCFA | 15 to 37 million FCFA |
The gap is clear from 3,000 attendees a year. Below 1,500 yearly attendees, a market platform remains the sensible choice.
Features that make the difference on the ground in Dakar
| Feature | Problem solved | Measured gain (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Wave and Orange Money payment | Delegates without an international card | +25 to 40% registrations paid online |
| Offline badge scanner mode | Network outages at the CICAD or hotel venues | 1,200 people checked in under 45 minutes |
| Automatic visa invitation letters | 2 to 3 days of admin per congress | 60 hours saved per edition |
| Proforma invoices for institutions | Payments from donors and ministries | Collection time cut from 30 to 15 days |
| Automatic abandoned-cart reminders | 18 to 25% unfinished registrations | 8 to 12% recovered |
| Attendance certificate exports | CME credits for doctors | Sent the same day instead of 3 weeks later |
Mini case study
Mr Ndiaye, director of a MICE agency in Dakar, runs 6 congresses a year for a total of 9,000 attendees. On an international platform at EUR 5 per registrant, he pays EUR 45,000 a year, about 29,500,000 FCFA, plus 3% card fees. He invests 16,000,000 FCFA in a custom platform, plus 250,000 FCFA a month in maintenance (3,000,000 FCFA a year). In year one he saves about 10,500,000 FCFA, then 26,500,000 FCFA in following years. He also resells the tool as a white label to two professional associations for 2,500,000 FCFA per event.
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FAQ
How long does it take to deliver the platform before a congress?
Plan 3 to 5 months for the full version. For an imminent congress, a registration plus payment plus badges core can ship in 8 to 10 weeks, with the attendee app following for the next edition.
Can we collect in euros, dollars and FCFA?
Yes. Cards are charged in EUR or USD through a provider such as Stripe or a local aggregator, while Wave and Orange Money collect in FCFA. The platform displays prices in the attendee's currency and consolidates accounting in FCFA.
What happens if the internet goes down on the day?
The badge scanner works offline and syncs as soon as the network returns. Also plan a backup 4G router, around 150,000 FCFA, for on-site badge printing.
Is attendee data protected?
Yes, in line with Senegal's data protection law 2008-12 and GDPR for European attendees: explicit consent, secure hosting and declaration to the CDP.
Do we need a native mobile app?
Rarely. An installable PWA covers programme, notifications and venue map for 2 to 5 million FCFA, versus 6 to 10 million FCFA for two native iOS and Android apps.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of congresses, attendees and target payment methods and we will price a platform between 10 and 22 million FCFA, delivered in phases ahead of your next event. 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.
