The verdict in three sentences
A Dubai-based trading company with subsidiaries in Dakar and Abidjan can choose between off-the-shelf software at 40 to 120 USD per user per month and custom software at 60,000 to 140,000 USD built by a French-speaking agency. For 60 users, the five-year total cost of custom (about 230,000 USD) even falls below the package (370,000 to 430,000 USD), but the decision rests first on business fit and lead time. Custom wins when your trading flows (back-to-back contracts, letters of credit, margin per shipment, AED, XOF and EUR multi-currency) force you to bend a generic package.
What each option really covers
| Trading company need | Standard ERP package | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-entity accounting and consolidation | Very good, native | Integrated with an existing accounting tool |
| AED, XOF, EUR, USD multi-currency | Native, but XOF revaluation sometimes manual | Rates and fixed XOF/EUR peg handled natively |
| Trade contracts and per-shipment tracking | Add-on module or heavy configuration | Built around your cycle |
| Real margin per deal (freight, insurance, FX) | Reports to build | Automatic per-shipment calculation |
| 5% UAE VAT and OHADA VAT (18% Senegal, 18% Côte d'Ivoire) | Configurable | Rules coded per entity |
| French interface for subsidiaries | Varies by vendor | Bilingual French and English |
| Changing a business rule | Vendor or integrator ticket, 2 to 8 weeks | 1 to 2 week sprint |
A hybrid model is common: accounting stays in a package auditors recognise, while a custom app runs trading operations and pushes journal entries via API.
Five-year total cost for 60 users
Assumptions, 2026 order of magnitude: 60 users (Dubai, Dakar, Abidjan), package at 80 USD per user per month, custom build at 100,000 USD.
| Five-year item | ERP package | Custom | Hybrid (standard accounting + trading app) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licences | 288,000 USD | 0 | 72,000 USD (15 accounting seats) |
| Integration and configuration | 45,000 to 80,000 USD | included | 15,000 USD |
| Development | 0 to 30,000 USD (extensions) | 100,000 USD | 75,000 USD |
| Cloud hosting | included | 30,000 USD | 25,000 USD |
| Maintenance and enhancements | 25,000 USD (integrator) | 90,000 USD | 70,000 USD |
| Training | 10,000 USD | 8,000 USD | 8,000 USD |
| Five-year total | 368,000 to 433,000 USD | 228,000 USD | 265,000 USD |
The package remains lower risk for a company that wants a working tool in 3 months. Custom takes 5 to 8 months but makes you the code owner, with no annual licence increases, which commonly reach 5 to 10% per year with vendors.
Tax and compliance to design in from day one
In the UAE, VAT is 5% and corporate tax 9% above 375,000 AED of taxable profit, with specific rules for free zones. The FTA is preparing mandatory e-invoicing, which the architecture should anticipate. In West Africa, subsidiaries apply 18% VAT and the SYSCOHADA chart of accounts. The software must trace transfer pricing between Dubai and subsidiaries, a sensitive topic in audits. These rules account for 10,000 to 20,000 USD of a custom project budget.
Mini case study
Karim, CEO of a rice and sugar trading company based in Jebel Ali, runs subsidiaries in Dakar and Abidjan with 60 users. His current spreadsheet costs 3 days of monthly consolidation for 2 controllers and poorly tracked FX gaps.
He chooses the hybrid model at 265,000 USD over 5 years, i.e. 53,000 USD per year. Estimated gains:
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- Consolidation cut from 3 days to 4 hours: about 18,000 USD per year of controller time.
- Better-hedged FX losses on 40,000,000 USD annual volume, gaining 0.1%: 40,000 USD per year.
- Fewer supplier invoicing disputes: about 12,000 USD per year.
Annual gain: about 70,000 USD, against an average annual cost of 53,000 USD. The project is profitable from year two, and the cumulative five-year net gain approaches 85,000 USD, a 2026 estimate.
FAQ
Does a well-known package reassure auditors more?
Yes, for accounting. That is why the hybrid model keeps recognised accounting software and gives trading operations to the custom app, for 10 to 20% more than full custom.
How is the CFA franc handled?
XOF is pegged to the euro at a fixed 655.957 XOF per EUR. The software then converts to AED or USD at the daily rate, with automatic month-end revaluation of receivables.
Why a French-speaking agency?
Your Dakar and Abidjan teams work in French and under SYSCOHADA. A French-speaking agency based in Dakar costs around 40 to 60 USD per hour, against 90 to 150 USD for an agency in Dubai.
Who owns the code?
With a contractual IP assignment, your company owns the source code, hosted on your own cloud account. You can change provider without losing the tool.
How long until we are operational?
Allow 5 to 8 months for a full custom build, including 4 to 6 weeks of scoping. A first module, such as contract and shipment tracking, can ship in 10 to 12 weeks.
Let's scope your project. Describe your entities, currencies and trading flows: we will compare package, custom and hybrid, with an indicative USD budget and a module-by-module delivery plan. 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.
