The verdict in three sentences
For an international NGO with field programmes in Africa that must report to its donors, a serious corporate website costs between 5 and 10 million FCFA excluding tax in 2026, about EUR 7,600 to 15,200 (USD 8,200 to 16,500). The items that matter are the project map, the financial reports area and online donations, all with pages under 1 MB so they stay usable on 3G for field partners. The project ships in 10 to 12 weeks, with maintenance at 120,000 to 250,000 FCFA a month.
Budget breakdown by module
An NGO website has three main readers: institutional donors (development agencies, foundations, the European Union) checking transparency, local partners and beneficiaries browsing on a phone, and individual donors, often in Europe or North America.
| Module | 2026 range (FCFA excl. tax) | EUR equivalent | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilingual FR/EN site, 15 to 25 pages | 1,800,000 to 3,200,000 | EUR 2,750 to 4,900 | Mission, governance, teams |
| Project map (regions, sectors, status) | 900,000 to 2,000,000 | EUR 1,370 to 3,050 | Show 20 to 60 active projects |
| Financial and activity reports area | 600,000 to 1,300,000 | EUR 915 to 1,980 | Annual reports, audits, downloads |
| Online donations (card, mobile money, transfer) | 700,000 to 1,500,000 | EUR 1,070 to 2,290 | One-off and monthly gifts |
| 3G optimisation and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility | 600,000 to 1,200,000 | EUR 915 to 1,830 | Pages < 1 MB, contrast, keyboard navigation |
| CMS with approval workflow | 400,000 to 800,000 | EUR 610 to 1,220 | Field drafting, headquarters approval |
| Total | 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 | EUR 7,600 to 15,200 | Excluding maintenance |
The project map is often the module donors value most: each project has a sheet with region, amount, donor, number of beneficiaries and progress, which covers much of the visibility requirements in funding agreements.
3G performance and delivery time
In many programme countries, a large share of local visitors connect on 3G or unstable 4G. A typical corporate site often weighs 3 to 6 MB per page, which makes it unusable for field partners.
| Indicator | Typical NGO site | 3G-optimised site |
|---|---|---|
| Home page weight | 3 to 6 MB | 600 to 950 KB |
| Load time on 3G | 12 to 25 s | 3 to 5 s |
| Images | Uncompressed JPEG | WebP and AVIF, lazy loading |
| Interactive map | Heavy library loaded everywhere | Loaded only on the map page |
| PDF reports | 15 to 40 MB | Light version < 5 MB plus HTML summary |
| Lighthouse mobile score | 30 to 50 | 85 to 95 |
The typical schedule fits in 10 to 12 weeks: 2 weeks of scoping with headquarters and the country office, 3 weeks of design, 4 to 5 weeks of development, 1 to 2 weeks of testing and accessibility audit. As with every corporate site, collecting field photos and project data is the main risk of delay.
Mini case study
Claire, communications officer at a Geneva-based NGO running programmes in 4 provinces of the DRC, currently spends 3 days per quarter compiling information for donor visibility reports, or 12 days a year. At a daily cost of 60,000 FCFA, that is 720,000 FCFA. The NGO chooses a 7,500,000 FCFA site (about EUR 11,400) with a project map and online reports. Compilation drops to 1 day per quarter, saving 480,000 FCFA a year. The real gain comes from donations: with 3,000 monthly visits, a 0.8% conversion rate and an average gift of 30,000 FCFA (about EUR 46), the site raises about 720,000 FCFA a month, or 8,640,000 FCFA a year. The site pays for itself in under 11 months, including maintenance at 180,000 FCFA a month.
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FAQ
Why require WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility?
Many European donors now expect it in their communication requirements. The audit and fixes represent 8 to 12% of the budget, and the site also becomes lighter and easier to read on mobile.
Which payment methods for donations?
Cards via Stripe for international donors, mobile money (M-Pesa, Orange Money, Airtel Money) for local gifts, and bank transfer for large amounts. Expect fees of 1.5 to 3.5% depending on the method.
Can we publish financial reports without making everything public?
Yes. Audited annual reports are public, while a password-protected donor area holds interim reports and supporting documents.
What does 120,000 to 250,000 FCFA a month of maintenance cover?
Hosting with a CDN, security updates, backups and 2 to 5 hours of changes. The higher plan adds monthly tracking of donations and 3G performance.
Can the country office publish without going through headquarters?
Yes, with a two-level workflow: the field drafts, headquarters approves. A news item goes live in under 24 hours instead of several weeks.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many projects to map, your main donors and your budget between 5 and 10 million FCFA, and we will propose a 10 to 12 week schedule. 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.
