The verdict in three sentences
A corporate group website redesign in Dakar costs between 6 and 18 million FCFA in 2026 depending on the number of subsidiaries, editorial depth and content governance. Hosting in the European Union plus a workflow-based CMS (Sanity or equivalent) is the real credibility driver with lenders, not the design alone. At equal scope, a Dakar agency charges 40 to 55 % less than a European one, with no quality gap when the brief is solid.
The 2026 budget per work package
A group site breaks down into clear packages. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude for a 20-40 page, bilingual FR/EN project with a press room and investor section.
| Package | Scope | FCFA range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery & architecture | Workshops, sitemap, specs | 800,000 - 1,800,000 | 2-3 wks |
| UI/UX design | Mockups, design system | 1,500,000 - 3,500,000 | 3-4 wks |
| Integration & dev | Front, CMS, components | 2,500,000 - 6,000,000 | 5-8 wks |
| Workflow CMS | Roles, validation, i18n | 1,000,000 - 2,500,000 | 2-3 wks |
| Content & migration | Copy, SEO, legacy import | 800,000 - 2,500,000 | 3-5 wks |
| QA & go-live | Testing, accessibility, training | 500,000 - 1,500,000 | 2 wks |
A Corporate Standard project (15-30 pages, FR/EN) lands around 6 to 8 million FCFA. A Corporate Premium build with a partner portal, interactive annual report and 3 languages climbs to 10 to 18 million FCFA.
Hosting, maintenance and 3-year total cost
The purchase price is only the visible part. Annual governance weighs heavily in a group.
| Item | 2026 estimate | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Managed EU hosting | EUR 80 - 350/month | Monthly |
| Maintenance & security | 12 - 18 % of build/year | Annual |
| Editorial evolutions | 150,000 - 500,000 FCFA/month | As needed |
| Advanced SSL + CDN | 200,000 - 600,000 FCFA/year | Annual |
| WCAG accessibility audit | 800,000 - 1,500,000 FCFA | One-off |
On a 10 million FCFA build, annual maintenance is 1.2 to 1.8 million FCFA, for a 3-year total cost around 14 to 16 million FCFA excluding campaigns.
Dakar agency vs European agency: the real gap
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
| Criterion | Dakar agency | European agency |
|---|---|---|
| Equivalent build | 10,000,000 FCFA | 22,000,000 - 30,000,000 FCFA |
| Senior day rate | 180,000 - 300,000 FCFA | 550,000 - 900,000 FCFA |
| Average timeline | 3 - 6 months | 4 - 7 months |
| Timezone / responsiveness | GMT, French-speaking | +1/+2h, FR/EN |
| Senegal law 2008-12 compliance | Native | To verify |
The 40 to 55 % saving often funds a full year of maintenance plus a launch campaign.
Mini case study
Mr Ndiaye, secretary general of an agri-industrial group in Dakar (holding + 4 subsidiaries), wants to convince a regional lender. Target budget: 11 million FCFA. He picks a 9.5 million FCFA build (Premium, FR/EN + IR section) plus 1.3 million year-1 maintenance. The site strengthens a 2.4 billion FCFA financing file: even if the site counted for only 2 % of the decision, the return on the 11 million invested is obvious. Side gain: 18 hours/month saved by the comms team, which now publishes without an external vendor.
FAQ
How long does a group redesign take? Expect 3 to 6 months in 2026 depending on the number of subsidiaries and your teams' availability to approve content and mockups. Content is almost always the bottleneck.
Should we host in Europe or Senegal? For lender credibility and international performance, managed EU hosting (EUR 80 to 350/month) remains the 2026 standard, with a CDN to serve West Africa fast.
Which CMS for a group site? A headless CMS with a validation workflow (Sanity or equivalent) enables editor/reviewer/publisher roles and native multilingual. Budget 1 to 2.5 million FCFA for this package.
Is maintenance really mandatory? Yes: security, updates and editorial evolutions represent 12 to 18 % of the build per year. Without it, a group site degrades within 12 to 18 months.
Can payment be staged? Yes, the per-package breakdown allows a 30/40/30 schedule aligned to milestones (discovery, integration, go-live).
Let's scope your project. Give us the number of subsidiaries, target languages and your indicative budget (6-18 M FCFA) and we will frame the scope. 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.
