The verdict in three sentences
Free tutorials are rich but scattered and often in English: they suit you if you are already very self-directed. An in-person bootcamp in Dakar (roughly 500,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA, about 760 to 2,290 EUR, plus round trips from Thiès) only makes sense once your motivation is confirmed. To run that test at the lowest cost, the Kolonell Academy level 1 Discover code (25,000 FCFA, about 38 EUR, 6 hours), taught in French, shows you how a website works and has you publish your first page in two to three weeks.
Three ways to start, compared
In Thiès, many students at Iba Der Thiam University or ENSA, and young job seekers, wonder whether web development is for them. The classic trap: spending several hundred thousand francs before knowing whether you actually enjoy writing code.
| Criterion | Free YouTube tutorials | In-person bootcamp in Dakar | Kolonell Academy level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (2026 estimate) | 0 FCFA, excluding mobile data | 500,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA | 25,000 FCFA, lifetime access |
| Transport from Thiès | None | 2,000 to 4,000 FCFA per round trip, several times a week | None |
| Pace | Free, easy to drop | Fixed, often full-time | 2 to 3 h per week for 2 to 3 weeks |
| Lesson order | You build it yourself | Full program | 3 progressive modules, from the web to code |
| Exercises | Rarely corrected | Corrected in class | Code exercises with answer keys, quiz per module |
| Publishing a real page | If you find the right tutorial | Yes | Yes, on GitHub Pages or Netlify, for free |
| Certificate | None | Depends on the school | Numbered Kolonell Academy certificate, verifiable online |
| Language | Often English | French | French |
Our honest advice: free tutorials remain useful as a complement, and a bootcamp may suit you later; your final project must also be approved by a reviewer. Start with a short, structured test.
What you do in 6 hours
The course Discover code: understand how a website works is level 1 Beginner of the Web Development track. It has three modules.
| Module | What you learn | What you produce |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How the web works (free) | Browser, URL, domain name, DNS, hosting, the roles of HTML, CSS and JavaScript | Your annotated map of the web |
| 2. First steps in HTML | Installing VS Code, tags, links, images, file paths | Your first clean project folder |
| 3. Style, interaction and publishing | Inspecting a site with Chrome, CSS, a JavaScript button, publishing | Your personal page online (final project) |
Module 1 has you produce an inspection sheet of a real Senegalese or Ivorian website: you open Chrome's developer tools on a site you know and note what you find. That is often where you feel whether the subject grabs you. Module 1 is free, with no code to write: you can read it before paying.
Mind the equipment: lessons can be read on a phone, but to write and publish your page you need a computer, even an old one (4 GB of RAM is enough for VS Code and Chrome). A cybercafé computer or a friend's can do for the final project.
And after level 1?
This level is not enough to bill for development work, and we would rather say so. It opens the Web Development track: HTML and CSS, then JavaScript, React and Next.js, up to level 5 Full-stack JavaScript Developer. The five levels cost 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000, and the level 1 you bought is deducted if you then take the full track.
| Step | What it allows | 2026 estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 alone | Understand the web, publish a page, decide what is next | No development income |
| Full track (5 levels) | Aim for a junior developer role | 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA per month in Dakar |
| Fast-growing start-up | Well-placed junior role | Up to 500,000 FCFA per month |
These salaries come from the course program for Dakar; they vary by profile and no income is guaranteed.
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Consider a hypothetical learner: Ibrahima, 21, a bachelor's student in Thiès, who is thinking about a 900,000 FCFA bootcamp in Dakar.
Illustrative calculation: before committing, he takes level 1 at 25,000 FCFA, three hours a week for two weeks, and publishes his page. If he finds he does not enjoy coding, he has spent 25,000 FCFA instead of 900,000, plus about 3,000 FCFA in round trips saved per class day. If he is hooked, he can continue with the full track at 350,000 FCFA, with his 25,000 FCFA deducted. The final choice remains his, and nothing guarantees a job.
FAQ
I have never coded, is this really for me?
Yes, that is the target audience. Module 1 has no code to write, and code arrives in module 2, one tag at a time. Allow 6 hours in total.
Is a phone enough?
To read the lessons, yes, even over 3G. To write and publish your page, you need a Windows, macOS or Linux computer, even an old one with 4 GB of RAM.
Do I need to pay for hosting to publish my page?
No. GitHub Pages and Netlify publish a static page for free. A .com domain costs 6,300 to 8,600 FCFA a year in September 2026, but it is optional here.
How do I pay and when can I start?
By Wave or Orange Money at +221 77 596 93 33, 25,000 FCFA against a pro forma invoice. Access is activated within 24 working hours after payment and lasts for life. No refund once access is activated: read the free module 1 first.
Are there videos or a live trainer?
No. You get written lessons, code exercises with answer keys, PDF handouts and quizzes. The numbered Kolonell Academy certificate, verifiable online (QR code) and ready to add to LinkedIn, requires at least 70 % in the quizzes; your final project must also be approved by a reviewer. For questions: the course forum and WhatsApp support.
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Take the next step. Enroll in Discover code: understand how a website works: 6 hours, 25,000 FCFA (about 38 EUR), numbered Kolonell Academy certificate verifiable online. 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.
