The verdict in three sentences
A London scale-up can build a dedicated team of developers in Dakar for 3,500 to 5,500 EUR per month per senior, against 7,000 to 10,000 GBP fully loaded for an equivalent profile in London. The decisive advantage over Asian offshore is the time zone: Dakar is on GMT all year, so zero hours' difference in winter and one hour in summer with the UK. Success depends less on the rate than on three safeguards: clear IP assignment, shared agile governance and a gradual ramp-up over 4 to 6 weeks.
Cost comparison by profile
The figures below are fully loaded monthly costs billed to the client (salary, social charges, workstation, management, provider margin), 2026 order of magnitude, with 1 GBP at about 1.17 EUR.
| Profile | London (employer or contractor cost) | Eastern Europe nearshore | Dakar, dedicated team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior full-stack developer | 7,000 to 10,000 GBP | 6,000 to 8,500 EUR | 3,500 to 5,500 EUR |
| Mid-level developer | 5,500 to 7,500 GBP | 4,500 to 6,500 EUR | 2,600 to 3,800 EUR |
| Tech lead | 9,000 to 12,000 GBP | 7,500 to 10,000 EUR | 5,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| QA and test automation | 4,500 to 6,500 GBP | 3,800 to 5,200 EUR | 2,200 to 3,200 EUR |
| UX product designer | 6,000 to 8,500 GBP | 5,000 to 7,000 EUR | 3,000 to 4,500 EUR |
| Project manager or Scrum Master | 6,500 to 9,000 GBP | 5,000 to 7,000 EUR | 3,200 to 4,800 EUR |
The average gap with London is around 45 to 55% once all costs are included, including one or two trips per year and shared tooling.
Engagement models and what they imply
| Model | Typical contract | Notice | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated team | Monthly fee per profile, 6-month minimum | 1 to 2 months | Continuously growing product |
| Time and materials | 35 to 60 EUR per hour by seniority | 2 weeks | Short-term reinforcement |
| Fixed-price project | Fixed price per lot, acceptance milestones | Per contract | Well-scoped MVP or module |
| Build, operate, transfer | Team built then taken over by the client at 18 or 24 months | Transfer clause | Setting up an African hub |
| Blended team | Lead in London, developers in Dakar | 1 month | Sensitive product, heavy coordination |
Contractual and operational safeguards
Intellectual property. The contract should assign economic rights to code, documentation and designs upon payment of each invoice, with code pushed to your own Git repository. Contracts are usually governed by English law with London jurisdiction.
Personal data. Senegal has no UK GDPR adequacy decision: access to production data goes through standard contractual clauses (IDTA or UK addendum), anonymised test environments and logged access.
Governance. Two-week sprints, joint demo and retrospective, tickets in your Jira or Linear, mandatory code review by your lead. A daily stand-up at 9:30 London time works with no time zone friction.
Ramp-up. Weeks 1 and 2: hiring or allocation and access. Weeks 3 and 4: first supervised tickets. Weeks 5 and 6: stable velocity. Beyond 6 developers, plan for an on-site tech lead.
Mini case study
James, COO of a London fintech scale-up, needs 5 senior developers to deliver his roadmap. In London, the average fully loaded cost is 8,500 GBP per month, i.e. 42,500 GBP monthly or 510,000 GBP per year.
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Dakar option: 4 seniors at 4,500 EUR and 1 lead at 6,000 EUR, i.e. 24,000 EUR per month (about 20,500 GBP). Add 1,500 GBP per month for travel and tooling: 22,000 GBP per month, 264,000 GBP per year.
Annual saving: 510,000 - 264,000 = 246,000 GBP, or 48%. Even allowing 2 months of reduced velocity at start (about 25,000 GBP of lost productivity), the net first-year saving exceeds 220,000 GBP, a 2026 order of magnitude.
FAQ
Do the developers work in English?
Yes, dedicated teams offered to UK clients have professional English, often B2 to C1. Rituals, tickets and documentation are in English, and French is a bonus for your francophone markets.
How does invoicing work?
Monthly invoice in euros or pounds, payable at 30 days. Services exported from Senegal are generally invoiced without VAT, to be confirmed with your accountant.
How good is the internet connection?
Offices in Dakar have fibre at 100 Mbit/s or more, with a 4G backup link. Require a UPS and a generator in the provider's specifications.
Can we bring the team in-house later?
Yes, with a build, operate, transfer model. Transfer fees are set in the contract, often one to two months of billing per transferred person.
What is the minimum size?
A dedicated team usually starts at 2 or 3 people, for a budget of 9,000 to 15,000 EUR per month.
Let's scope your project. Describe your product, stack and target profiles: we will propose a team composition, an indicative monthly budget and a 6-week ramp-up plan. 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.
