The verdict in three sentences
In Kaolack, a trading hub for groundnuts, cereals and distribution towards Saloum and Mali, knowing how to run stock and cash on Excel is what separates a clerk from an accounting assistant. The online Practical Excel course from Kolonell Academy (75,000 FCFA, about 115 EUR, 14 hours, certificate included) costs less than an in-person course and can be followed without leaving your job. If you redo your totals on a calculator every month end, this is the course to take now.
From notebook to workbook: what actually changes
In the trading houses around the central market, hardware stores, cement depots and food wholesalers of Kaolack, field accounting often relies on three tools: a cash book, a delivery note pad and the manager's memory. The result: stock gaps discovered too late, forgotten customer receivables and hours lost recounting.
A well-built Excel workbook solves the essentials: a stock in and out sheet, a daily cash sheet, a receivables table by customer and a pivot table that answers the boss's question in thirty seconds: "how many bags of rice did we sell in October, and to whom?".
Here are the options for learning Excel in 2026 in Kaolack (2026 order of magnitude):
| Option | Indicative price | Duration | Certificate | What is often missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolonell "Practical Excel" online | 75,000 FCFA (about 115 EUR) | 14 h, self-paced | Yes | Nothing essential, discipline required |
| In-person training centre | 90,000 to 150,000 FCFA | 3 to 6 weeks | Varies | Pivot tables often skimmed |
| Private tutor | 7,500 to 12,500 FCFA per hour | 12 to 20 h | No | No reusable materials |
| Free YouTube tutorials | 0 FCFA (excluding data) | Unlimited | No | No local stock or cash cases |
| In-house company training | Free for the employee | A few hours | No | Rarely offered in SMEs |
Programme, level and job prospects
The course Practical Excel: tables, formulas and analysis for work, taught in French, is level 3 (Intermediate) of the Office and Productivity track. It runs over six modules: building a clean table, essential formulas, logical and lookup functions (IF, XLOOKUP), sorting, filtering and conditional formatting, pivot tables and charts, then ready-to-use management tools for sales, stock and budget. It also works with Google Sheets.
| Profile in Kaolack | Monthly salary (2026 order of magnitude) | What Excel brings |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk or cashier without Excel | 80,000 to 120,000 FCFA | Nothing, everything is manual |
| Accounting assistant with Excel | 150,000 to 250,000 FCFA | Cash, reconciliations, receivables |
| Stock manager (wholesaler, depot) | 150,000 to 220,000 FCFA | Stock in, stock out, shortage alerts |
| Management assistant at an NGO or farm project | 180,000 to 300,000 FCFA | Donor budget tracking |
| Keeping workbooks for traders (freelance) | 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA per month per client | Monthly updates |
| Building a custom stock tool | 30,000 to 75,000 FCFA per tool | Reusable template |
These figures are 2026 benchmarks, varying by company and experience.
If you are not yet comfortable with Word or files, the Office and Productivity track starts at level 1 for 25,000 FCFA. All five levels taken together cost 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA (about 534 EUR instead of 686 EUR).
Mini case study
Ibrahima, 29, is a clerk at a cereal wholesaler near Kaolack's central market, paid 110,000 FCFA a month. He spends about 6 hours a week recounting stock and cash.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
- Cost of the Practical Excel course: 75,000 FCFA.
- With a stock workbook and a pivot table, he cuts that time to 2 hours, i.e. 4 hours freed per week.
- He shows the tool to his boss, who hands him customer receivables and promotes him to accounting assistant at 160,000 FCFA, i.e. 50,000 FCFA more per month.
- The course is paid back in a month and a half of salary difference.
This scenario is an illustration: a promotion also depends on the employer.
FAQ
Do I need to know Excel before starting?
You need to be able to open a file and type numbers. If not, take level 1 of the track first, at 25,000 FCFA.
Is the certificate included in the 75,000 FCFA?
Yes, the Kolonell Academy certificate is issued after you pass the quizzes and exercises of the 6 modules, at no extra cost.
Can I follow the course on Google Sheets?
Yes, the formulas and pivot tables covered in the 14 hours also exist in Google Sheets, free with a Gmail account. That helps if your employer has no Office licence.
How long until I am operational?
At 1 hour a day, you finish in about three weeks and can build your first stock tool from the second week.
What comes after Excel?
Level 4 of the track covers the full Office suite, then level 5 leads to the executive assistant job, generally paid over 250,000 FCFA in Dakar.
Take the next step. Enroll in Practical Excel: tables, formulas and analysis for work: 14 hours online, 75,000 FCFA (about 115 EUR), certificate included, 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.
