The verdict in three sentences
In Yamoussoukro, recruiters from Abidjan web agencies and corporate IT departments receive dozens of CVs from students with similar degrees, and what sets one apart is an online portfolio with real responsive websites. Learning HTML and CSS properly takes about a dozen guided hours, costs less than a month of transport and pays for itself with the first month of an internship stipend (50,000 to 150,000 FCFA at an agency). The right order: code two realistic projects, publish them on GitHub Pages or your own domain, then apply with clickable links instead of promises.
Why a portfolio matters more than your transcript
A project lead at an agency in Plateau or Cocody has no time to check your algorithms grade. They open your link on their phone and check whether the page displays well, whether the menu works and whether the form is clean. Within thirty seconds they know if you can turn a mockup into a page. An INP-HB student who shows a restaurant landing page and a small business website, live and readable on mobile, moves ahead of a classmate who only has lab reports in PDF.
These are the figures that shape the decision in 2026 (2026 estimate, varies by employer):
| Item | Indicative amount | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Internship stipend at an Abidjan web agency | 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA per month (76 to 230 EUR) | The first month repays the course |
| Portfolio hosting on GitHub Pages | 0 FCFA | Enough to apply |
| .com or .ci domain name | about 8,000 FCFA per year (12 EUR) | A professional address on your CV |
| Junior front-end developer salary in Abidjan | 250,000 to 400,000 FCFA per month (380 to 610 EUR) | Target after the internship |
| Landing page billed by a beginner freelancer | 75,000 to 150,000 FCFA | Possible income while studying |
| Simple 4 to 5 page business website, freelance | 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA | A summer holiday project |
None of these amounts is guaranteed: they depend on the agency, your actual skill level and the hiring season.
Which option to learn from Yamoussoukro
You have three realistic paths. Free videos help you discover the basics, but nobody corrects your code and nothing forces you to finish a project. In-person training centres in Abidjan provide supervision but require travel and a heavier budget. A structured online course with corrected exercises and graded projects can be followed from your student residence in the evening, on a modest laptop.
| Option | Indicative 2026 cost | Graded projects | Verifiable certificate | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free YouTube videos | 0 FCFA, plus mobile data | No | No | No feedback, frequent drop-out |
| Free online certificates | 0 FCFA | Rarely | Sometimes | Generic exercises, no local use case |
| In-person training centre in Abidjan | 150,000 to 400,000 FCFA (market ballpark) | Yes | Depends on the centre | Travel, fixed hours |
| Kolonell Academy, HTML and CSS (level 2 Practical) | 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR) | 2 graded projects | Yes | Self-paced evenings |
| Full Web development track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | One project per level | Yes | Several months of commitment |
The course HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website is level 2 Practical of the track, beginner level, 50,000 FCFA for 12 hours, taught in French. You write semantic HTML, build accessible forms, master Flexbox and Grid with a mobile-first approach, then publish the site and check it with Lighthouse. It includes 5 modules, 25 lessons, 61 corrected exercises and 2 projects: a restaurant landing page, then a responsive 4 page website for a small business. If you have never written a tag, start with level 1 of the Web development track, which then leads to JavaScript at level 3.
The eight week plan before internship season
| Week | Work | Portfolio deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Semantic HTML and forms | Accessible booking form |
| 3 and 4 | CSS fundamentals | Simple style guide applied to a page |
| 5 | Flexbox, Grid, mobile first | Restaurant landing page |
| 6 and 7 | 4 page business website | Responsive small business site |
| 8 | Publishing, Lighthouse report, About page | Live portfolio linked on your CV |
At 1.5 hours a night, five nights a week, you go well beyond the 12 hours of the course and keep time to personalise your projects, which recruiters notice.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Yao, 21, computer engineering student at INP-HB in Yamoussoukro. He spends 50,000 FCFA on the course and 8,000 FCFA on a domain name, 58,000 FCFA in total (about 88 EUR). He publishes both projects in seven weeks and sends twelve applications with his link. An Abidjan agency offers him a three month internship at 75,000 FCFA a month, 225,000 FCFA overall. His investment is covered by the end of the first month, and he has 167,000 FCFA left after three months. If the agency then hires him as a junior developer at 250,000 FCFA a month, the yearly gain dwarfs the initial cost. This scenario is illustrative: every hire depends on the profile and the market.
FAQ
Do I need a powerful computer for the course?
No. An entry level or refurbished laptop at around 150,000 FCFA is enough to write HTML and CSS with a free editor. What matters most is a stable connection for the videos, or a data plan of about 5 GB a month.
Is GitHub Pages good enough for an internship portfolio?
Yes, most technical recruiters accept free GitHub Pages hosting. A domain at about 8,000 FCFA a year simply gives you a more professional address on your CV.
How many projects should an intern's portfolio show?
Two or three clean projects beat ten unfinished exercises. The course's 2 graded projects, a landing page and a 4 page website, make a solid base.
Do Abidjan agencies recognise the certificate?
The certificate can be verified online and proves you passed the graded projects. Recruiters will mainly look at your live sites: the certificate supports the portfolio but does not replace it.
Can I earn money with HTML and CSS while studying?
It is possible: beginners commonly bill a landing page between 75,000 and 150,000 FCFA (2026 estimate). First clients often come from your own network, and no income is guaranteed.
Take the next step. Enroll in HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website: 12 hours, 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR), 2 graded projects and a verifiable certificate, 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.
