The verdict in three sentences
For an investment fund or development bank, a serious institutional website costs 8,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA (about 12,200 to 22,900 EUR, or 13,300 to 25,000 USD) in 2026, excluding a project submission portal. That portal, which receives responses to expressions of interest (EOI) calls, adds about 3,000,000 FCFA (4,575 EUR) and quickly pays for itself in investment officers' time. The real risk is not the price but security: a poorly protected financing website exposes the institution's reputation with donors and co-investors.
What the budget covers, line by line
The communications director of a financial institution publishes three kinds of content: corporate information (mandate, governance, shareholders), opportunities (EOI calls, tenders, jobs) and accountability (annual reports, financial statements, impact evaluations). Each has a distinct design and build cost. The figures below are those of a Kolonell build; a New York agency would typically quote two to three times more for the same scope.
| Item | 2026 range (FCFA) | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sitemap, workshops with leadership | 600,000 to 1,200,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Custom design and digital brand guidelines | 1,500,000 to 2,800,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Next.js build + CMS with approval workflow | 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Interactive annual report (animated figures, project maps) | 1,200,000 to 2,500,000 | 3 weeks |
| Full second language version (translation + integration) | 700,000 to 1,300,000 | 2 weeks |
| Hardened security, audit and penetration tests | 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Total institutional website | 8,000,000 to 15,000,000 | 12 to 16 weeks |
| Option: project submission portal | + 3,000,000 | + 4 weeks |
The low end is a 15 to 20 page website with a simple web annual report. The high end adds an interactive portfolio map, a press room and a three-level editorial workflow (writer, communications lead, executive management).
Project submission portal: why it changes everything
Without a portal, project sponsors email their files, often incomplete, as 40 MB PDFs. Your teams spend hours chasing, sorting and archiving. The portal enforces a structured form, mandatory documents and an automatic acknowledgement of receipt.
| Criterion | Email intake | Submission portal |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete files received | 40 to 60 % | under 10 % |
| Screening time per file | 45 to 60 minutes | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Audit trail | weak | full timestamping |
| Data confidentiality | shared mailboxes | role-based access, encryption |
| Statistics per call | manual | real-time dashboard |
| Upfront cost | 0 FCFA | about 3,000,000 FCFA |
| Recurring cost | staff time | included in maintenance |
The portal stores files on secure hosting, applies access rights per committee and exports the list of applications to Excel for screening meetings. It follows applicable personal data protection rules and the requirements partner donors frequently impose.
Security and maintenance: the costs people forget
A development bank is a target. Attacks aim at defacing the website, publishing fake tenders or stealing sponsors' files. The security budget includes CSP headers, a web application firewall, two-factor authentication for editors, daily backups and a pre-launch audit.
| Recurring service | 2026 monthly cost (FCFA) | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Standard maintenance | 120,000 (about 183 EUR) | updates, backups, security patches |
| Managed hosting + CDN | 40,000 to 75,000 | 99.9 % uptime target |
| 24/7 monitoring | included | downtime alerts |
| Publishing a new EOI call | included | ready-made template |
| Annual security audit | 600,000 to 900,000 per year | report and remediation plan |
Plan about 2,000,000 to 2,400,000 FCFA (3,050 to 3,660 EUR) a year to run it, audit included: a modest 2026 order of magnitude compared with the financing volumes the website helps attract.
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Mini case study
Mr Okemba, communications director of a development finance institution, publishes 6 EOI calls a year and receives on average 150 files per call, 900 files in total. By email, screening takes 50 minutes per file: 750 hours a year. With the portal it drops to 12 minutes: 180 hours. The saving is 570 hours, nearly 3.5 months of an investment officer's time. If that time costs about 6,000 FCFA an hour, savings reach 3,420,000 FCFA a year: the 3,000,000 FCFA portal pays back in under 11 months.
FAQ
What is the minimum budget for a development bank website?
Plan at least 8,000,000 FCFA (12,200 EUR) for a bilingual, secure, editable institutional website. Below that, the security audit or approval workflow is usually missing, two items boards and donors expect.
How long does it take to go live?
Allow 12 to 16 weeks for the full website and 4 more weeks with the submission portal. The schedule depends mostly on how quickly leadership validates content.
Does the interactive annual report replace the PDF?
No, they coexist: the PDF remains the official version, while the interactive one (1,200,000 to 2,500,000 FCFA) improves mobile reading and sharing with partners. It is reused year after year by changing only the data.
Is a second language version essential?
For an institution working with the AfDB, the World Bank or international funds, yes. It costs 700,000 to 1,300,000 FCFA and opens EOI calls to sponsors across the region.
What does maintenance at 120,000 FCFA a month include?
Technical updates, security patches, daily backups and help publishing new calls. The annual audit is billed separately, about 600,000 to 900,000 FCFA.
Let's scope your project. Tell us the number of pages, the languages and whether you need a submission portal: we will price a budget between 8,000,000 and 18,000,000 FCFA with a 12 to 20 week 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.
