The verdict in three sentences
A custom business web application for a Senegalese company with 30 to 300 employees costs 3 to 12 million FCFA (about 4,575 to 18,300 EUR) in 2026, for 8 to 16 weeks of development. Add 30,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month for hosting and maintenance at 10 to 15% of the initial cost per year. For European clients, a Dakar team bills 250 to 400 EUR a day versus 600 to 900 EUR in Paris, making Senegal a credible nearshore option.
Excel and WhatsApp: the real cost of the status quo
Many Dakar companies, distributors, construction firms, clinics, carriers, run on one shared Excel file per department and WhatsApp groups for approvals. It holds while the company is small. Beyond 30 employees the symptoms show: conflicting versions of the same file, lost purchase orders, wrong stock levels, forgotten invoices, no way to know who approved what. A custom application replaces these tools with a single database, role-based rights and a history of every action.
| App type | Example features | Indicative 2026 price (FCFA) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple sales management | Clients, quotes, invoices, reminders | 3,000,000 to 4,500,000 | 8 weeks |
| Multi-site stock management | Inbound, outbound, inventories, alerts | 4,000,000 to 6,500,000 | 9 to 11 weeks |
| Field service management | Scheduling, mobile-signed work orders, photos | 4,500,000 to 7,500,000 | 10 to 12 weeks |
| Light industry ERP | Purchasing, stock, sales, POS, reporting | 7,000,000 to 12,000,000 | 12 to 16 weeks |
| Client or supplier portal | Orders, documents, Wave or Orange Money payment | 3,500,000 to 6,000,000 | 8 to 10 weeks |
| Executive dashboard | Consolidated KPIs, exports | 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 (module) | 4 to 6 weeks |
These prices are a 2026 order of magnitude for a professional team in Dakar. They include scoping, mockups, development, acceptance testing and user training.
Total cost over three years
The development price is only part of the investment. To compare fairly with an off-the-shelf product, think over three years.
| Item | Custom application (FCFA) | Foreign SaaS software (FCFA) |
|---|---|---|
| Development or setup | 6,000,000 | 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 |
| Licenses over 3 years (50 users) | 0 | 18,000,000 to 45,000,000 |
| Hosting over 3 years | 1,800,000 to 3,600,000 | Included |
| Maintenance and changes over 3 years (12%) | 2,160,000 | Limited to the vendor roadmap |
| Fit with local practices | Full (Wave, Orange Money, OHADA) | Partial |
| 3-year total | 9,960,000 to 11,760,000 | 19,000,000 to 47,500,000 |
The SaaS figure assumes 15 to 38 EUR per user per month, about 10,000 to 25,000 FCFA. Beyond 30 users, custom almost always becomes cheaper, and the company owns it.
For European clients: the Dakar nearshore option
Dakar is also a development base for French, Belgian and Swiss companies. A Dakar team bills 250 to 400 EUR a day versus 600 to 900 EUR in Paris, a 40 to 60% saving, on GMT, close to European working hours, with French as a shared working language and English widely used by developers. The condition is solid scoping and a product owner on the client side.
| Criterion | Paris team | Dakar nearshore team |
|---|---|---|
| Day rate | 600 to 900 EUR | 250 to 400 EUR |
| 60-day project | 36,000 to 54,000 EUR | 15,000 to 24,000 EUR |
| Time difference with Paris | 0 h | 1 to 2 h |
| Working language | French | French and English |
| Code ownership | Client | Client |
Mini case study
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Mr Ndiaye, CFO of a building materials distributor in Dakar (120 employees, 4 depots), manages stock in Excel. Every inventory reveals a 2 to 3% gap on average stock of 400 million FCFA, and two assistants spend 15 hours a week consolidating files.
He invests 7,500,000 FCFA in a multi-depot stock and sales application, plus 80,000 FCFA of hosting a month. By cutting the inventory gap from 2.5% to 0.8%, he saves about 6,800,000 FCFA a year, not counting the 15 hours freed each week. With 960,000 FCFA of yearly hosting and 900,000 FCFA of maintenance, the application pays for itself in about 18 months.
FAQ
How much does a custom web app cost in Senegal in 2026?
Between 3 and 12 million FCFA (about 4,575 to 18,300 EUR) depending on complexity, as an order of magnitude. Simple sales management starts around 3,000,000 FCFA, a light industry ERP can reach 12,000,000 FCFA.
How long does development take?
From 8 to 16 weeks including scoping. A first usable module often ships in 6 to 8 weeks, with the others delivered in stages.
What are the costs after delivery?
Hosting costs 30,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month depending on users and data volume. Maintenance is 10 to 15% of the initial cost per year, i.e. 600,000 to 900,000 FCFA for a 6,000,000 FCFA app.
Can the app accept Wave and Orange Money?
Yes, integrating Wave and Orange Money for customer payments usually adds 400,000 to 900,000 FCFA. Wave Business charges 1% per payment received.
Is nearshore development in Dakar reliable for a European company?
Yes with a clear specification, weekly demos and code in your own Git repository. Savings reach 40 to 60% compared with Paris day rates.
Let's scope your project. List your current spreadsheets, departments and number of users: we price your application between 3 and 12 million FCFA (or a nearshore team at 250 to 400 EUR a day), delivered in 8 to 16 weeks. 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.
