The verdict in three sentences
In Kampala as in Yaoundé, an executive dashboard web app consolidating sales, inventory and collections from 3 sources costs 6 to 15 million FCFA excl. tax in 2026 (about USD 10,000 to 25,000), delivered in 10 to 14 weeks. Power BI looks cheaper at USD 10 per user per month, but data integration, cleansing and training often add 4 to 8 million FCFA (USD 7,000 to 13,000) of services. For a CEO currently waiting 10 days for monthly figures, the real gain is next-day numbers and day-to-day control of collections.
What you pay for: a typical project breakdown
Take a beverage distributor: an ERP or invoicing tool for sales, a spreadsheet or stock module for two warehouses, and collections tracked by sales reps. The budget splits as follows.
| Item | Scope | Budget excl. tax (2026 ballpark) |
|---|---|---|
| KPI scoping | 2 workshops with CEO, CFO, sales director, 15 to 25 KPIs | 600,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA (USD 1,000 to 2,000) |
| Data connectors | Automatic extraction from 3 sources (ERP, stock, spreadsheets) | 1,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (USD 2,500 to 6,600) |
| Data warehouse | Central database, calculation rules, 3-year history | 1,200,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA (USD 2,000 to 5,000) |
| Web and mobile UI | Dashboards, regional filters, alerts | 1,800,000 to 4,500,000 FCFA (USD 3,000 to 7,500) |
| Access rights | CEO, CFO and area manager views, login log | 400,000 to 1,000,000 FCFA (USD 650 to 1,650) |
| QA and training | 2 months of figure checks, training for 10 users | 500,000 to 1,300,000 FCFA (USD 800 to 2,150) |
The low end (6 million FCFA) assumes clean, exportable sources. The high end (15 million FCFA) covers a closed ERP, inconsistent spreadsheets per depot and a mobile app for area managers.
Custom build or Power BI: 3-year comparison
| Criterion | Power BI + integrator | Custom web app |
|---|---|---|
| Licences (20 users) | USD 10 × 20 × 36 months ≈ USD 7,200 (4.3M FCFA) | 0 |
| Initial integration | 4 to 8 million FCFA | Included in 6 to 15 million FCFA |
| Hosting and maintenance | Included for Power BI, integrator at 150,000 FCFA/month | 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA/month |
| 3-year total | 13.7 to 17.7 million FCFA | 11.4 to 25.8 million FCFA |
| Offline or low bandwidth use | Limited | Light pages, local cache |
| Customisation (SMS alerts, reminder workflows) | Low | Full |
| Vendor lock-in | High | Code handed over to the company |
Power BI remains relevant for a finance team already trained on Microsoft. Custom software wins when the dashboard must trigger actions: automatic reminder to a customer at 45 days, stock-out alert at a depot, delivery block above a credit limit.
The 3 indicators that fund the project
The first is DSO (days sales outstanding), tracked per customer and per rep. The second is the stock-out rate per depot and SKU. The third is margin per channel (wholesalers, bars, supermarkets). A CEO who sees these three figures every morning typically makes decisions 3 weeks earlier than with monthly reporting.
Mini case study
Mr. Okello, CEO of a beverage distributor in Kampala, posts annual revenue equivalent to 4.2 billion FCFA with average receivables of 700 million FCFA. By cutting receivables 15% through dashboard-driven reminders, he frees 105 million FCFA (about USD 175,000) of cash. At an 11% overdraft rate, that saves 11.5 million FCFA of finance costs a year. For an app at 10 million FCFA excl. tax and 2.4 million FCFA yearly maintenance, payback is under 14 months, before counting the 2 days a month the CFO spent consolidating files.
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FAQ
Do we need a new ERP to get a dashboard?
No. The dashboard connects to existing systems by automatic export or database access. If the ERP allows no extraction at all, add 1 to 2 million FCFA excl. tax of specific development.
Will figures really be next-day with poorly connected depots?
Yes, if each depot syncs at least once a day, even over 3G. A nightly sync of a few MB is enough for 3 sources and 5 depots.
Where is the data hosted?
Your choice: international cloud (about 60,000 to 150,000 FCFA, USD 100 to 250, per month) or a local server. Access rights restrict each area manager to their region.
How long until the first dashboard?
A first sales version arrives in 5 to 6 weeks. Inventory and collections follow within the next 6 to 8 weeks.
Can we pay in instalments?
Yes, the usual schedule is 40% at order, 30% at delivery of the first version and 30% at final acceptance.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your 3 data sources and the decisions you want to speed up, and we will price a scope between 6 and 15 million FCFA excl. tax with a first dashboard in 6 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.
