The verdict in three sentences
An NGO managing 4 projects and 6 donors, whether headquartered in New York or operating from Ouagadougou, loses one to two weeks of its M&E team every quarter reconciling inconsistent figures. Custom monitoring and evaluation software, at 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 FCFA (about 15,000 to 38,000 USD), connects offline field data collection, each project's logframe and automatically generated donor reports. The investment pays off as soon as it saves 10 days per quarter and secures the renewal of a single grant.
The real cost of 30 Excel files
A typical M&E manager handles one logframe per project, different reporting formats for each donor (European Union, US government agencies and their successors, AFD, Swiss cooperation, private foundations) and data from field staff across Burkina Faso's 13 regions, often on paper or on unconnected mobile forms.
| Quarterly activity (4 projects, 6 donors) | With Excel | With M&E software |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting and keying field forms | 12 person-days | 3 days (offline mobile entry) |
| Cleaning and de-duplicating beneficiaries | 5 days | 1 day (unique ID) |
| Consolidating indicators per project | 6 days | 0.5 day (automatic calculation) |
| Drafting tables for 6 donors | 8 days | 2 days (donor templates) |
| Corrections after donor questions | 3 days | 1 day (source traceability) |
| Total per quarter | 34 days | 7.5 days |
The 26-day quarterly gap far exceeds the cautious 10-day assumption. It frees time for analysis, verification missions and learning, which donors assess at renewal time.
2026 budget: custom, KoboToolbox or an international platform
Many NGOs start with KoboToolbox or ODK, free and excellent for collection. The problem comes next: multi-project consolidation and donor reports stay manual.
| Option | Entry cost | Annual cost | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KoboToolbox or ODK + Excel | 0 FCFA | 0 to 1,500,000 FCFA (training, tablets) | no consolidation or logframe |
| International M&E platform (ActivityInfo, DevResults, TolaData) | 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA | 4,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA subscription | foreign currency cost, remote support, little donor customisation |
| Custom software by Kolonell | 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 FCFA | maintenance 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA per month | 12 to 18 week build |
| Secure hosting | included in the project | 300,000 to 900,000 FCFA | |
| Field tablets (20 staff) | 2,400,000 to 3,600,000 FCFA | often fundable from project budget lines |
Over three years, an international platform at 8,000,000 FCFA a year (about 12,200 USD) costs 24,000,000 FCFA and never belongs to you. A custom build at 18,000,000 FCFA plus 2,700,000 FCFA of maintenance totals 20,700,000 FCFA and remains the NGO's property. For a New York headquarters, a comparable US-built system typically starts around 80,000 USD.
The modules that matter to donors
| Module | Function | What the donor sees |
|---|---|---|
| Logframe | objectives, results, indicators, annual targets | achievement rate per result |
| Offline mobile collection | Android forms, GPS, photos, 3G sync | geotagged field evidence |
| Beneficiary register | unique ID, disaggregation by sex, age, disability | no double counting |
| Report templates | one template per donor, Word and Excel export | reports in required formats |
| Dashboard | map of interventions, alerts on lagging indicators | steering in project committees |
| Audit log | who entered or changed what | fast response to audit missions |
Disaggregation has become a blocking point: many donors in 2026 require data by sex, age group and disability status. Designing it in from the start avoids reworking thousands of forms.
Mini case study
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Aminata, M&E manager of an agriculture and nutrition NGO in Ouagadougou, coordinates 4 projects with a combined budget of 2.1 billion FCFA. Her 3-person team spends 34 days per quarter on consolidation. The software, budgeted at 17,500,000 FCFA, brings this down to 7.5 days, i.e. 106 days saved per year. At an average cost of 45,000 FCFA per person-day, that is 4,770,000 FCFA a year. The software is budgeted at 1.2% of operating costs in a new 600,000,000 FCFA project, covering 7,200,000 FCFA of the investment in year one.
FAQ
How much does monitoring and evaluation software cost for an NGO?
Custom software costs 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 FCFA (about 15,000 to 38,000 USD) depending on projects, donors and forms. Monthly maintenance stays between 35,000 and 120,000 FCFA.
Does the software work without internet in the field?
Yes, staff fill in forms offline on Android tablets or phones, then sync when they get 3G. Syncing 200 forms uses less than 5 MB.
Can we import our existing KoboToolbox data?
Yes, Kobo forms and data are imported via API or export. Migrating 3 years of history usually takes 1 to 2 weeks.
Can the software be charged to a donor grant?
Often yes, under the M&E or operating cost line, which frequently represents 5 to 10% of the project budget. Plan it when drafting the proposal.
Where is beneficiary data hosted?
On a secure server with daily backups, in line with Burkina Faso's 2021 personal data protection law and donor requirements. Access is named and logged.
Let's scope your project. Share your logframes, donors and current collection tools, and we will price tailored software with a timeline aligned with your next quarterly report. 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.
