The verdict in three sentences
In NGOs in Ziguinchor and Casamance, field officer, project assistant and monitoring roles require producing Word reports, Excel budgets and PowerPoint presentations in the format donors expect. An NGO project assistant earns 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA per month (2026 order of magnitude), and office skills often make the difference between two candidates with the same field profile. The Kolonell course Complete Office suite: Word, Excel and PowerPoint at work costs 100,000 FCFA for 22 hours (about 152 EUR), taught in French and payable with Wave or Orange Money.
What donors really expect
Programs funded in Casamance (agriculture, community health, education, peacebuilding) follow strict formats. A poorly structured report or a budget with broken formulas delays a disbursement and weakens the team's credibility.
| Deliverable | Software | Typical donor requirement | Frequent mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly narrative report | Word | Styles, automatic table of contents, numbered annexes | Manual formatting, wrong contents page |
| Budget and expense tracking | Excel | Budget lines, execution rate, variances | Totals typed by hand, calculation errors |
| Logical framework and indicators | Excel or Word | Indicator table with targets | Inconsistent data between files |
| Steering committee presentation | PowerPoint | 10 to 15 readable slides | Text-heavy slides |
| Beneficiary list | Excel | Filters, sorting, pivot tables | Duplicates and mixed columns |
| Meeting minutes | Word | Organisation's standard template | File not matching the template |
Mastering these six deliverables saves several hours a week and cuts back-and-forth with the coordinator.
Comparing ways to train in Ziguinchor
| Option | 2026 cost (order of magnitude) | Duration | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free online tutorials | 0 FCFA (plus data, 5,000 to 15,000 FCFA) | Unlimited | No progression, no NGO cases |
| Local training centre, per software | 30,000 to 80,000 FCFA per month per software | 1 to 2 months per software | 90,000 to 240,000 FCFA for all three, fixed hours |
| In-house NGO training | Free if it exists | A few hours | Rare and one-off |
| Kolonell, Complete Office suite | 100,000 FCFA | 22 h online, self-paced | You need a computer to practise |
| Full Office track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | 5 courses | Higher investment |
This course is level 4 (Intermediate) of the Office and productivity track. It covers styles and automatic tables of contents in Word, formulas, pivot tables and charts in Excel, building clear presentations in PowerPoint, and working on real report and budget templates. It is taught in French and relies on exercises close to everyday office work.
What the skill pays
| NGO or project role | Monthly salary (2026 order of magnitude, Casamance) | Weight of office skills |
|---|---|---|
| Field officer | 150,000 to 250,000 FCFA | Activity reports, beneficiary lists |
| Project assistant | 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA | Budgets, reports, presentations |
| Junior M&E officer | 300,000 to 500,000 FCFA | Advanced Excel, indicator tables |
| Admin and finance assistant | 250,000 to 400,000 FCFA | Daily Excel |
| Occasional consultant (report formatting) | 15,000 to 40,000 FCFA per document | Word and PowerPoint |
No course guarantees a job: hiring also depends on available funding, field experience and languages spoken.
Mini case study
Illustrative scenario: Aminata, 26, a project officer at an NGO in Ziguinchor, earns 180,000 FCFA a month. She spends about 8 hours a month redoing tables and layouts by hand.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
- After the course, she automates her budgets and uses a report template: she saves 5 hours a month.
- A year later, she applies for a project assistant role at 260,000 FCFA a month, attaching an Excel budget and a report she produced.
- If she gets the role, the 80,000 FCFA monthly difference pays back the 100,000 FCFA course in under 6 weeks.
This scenario is illustrative: promotion depends on the organisation, but the hours saved are immediate.
FAQ
Do I need to know Word and Excel already?
Yes, the basics are required: opening, saving, typing text and numbers. If you are a complete beginner, start with the first levels of the Office track.
Can I follow the course on a phone?
Videos and lessons work on a phone, but the exercises require a computer with Office or a compatible suite. Count 22 hours, about 4 weeks at 1 hour a day.
Are the exercises suited to NGOs?
The exercises use common office documents: reports, budgets, lists and presentations. The skills transfer directly to donor formats.
Can my NGO pay for me?
Yes, the 100,000 FCFA payment can be made by Wave or Orange Money by you or your employer. The full track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA.
Is the certificate recognised?
The Kolonell Academy certificate confirms the 22 hours completed and the exercises passed. The files you produce during the course are the best proof to show in an interview.
Take the next step. Enroll in Complete Office suite: Word, Excel and PowerPoint at work: 22 hours online, taught in French, 100,000 FCFA, with a Kolonell Academy certificate. 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.
