The verdict in three sentences
For a network of 60 fuel stations in Togo, an offline PWA for field audits costs 4,000,000 to 9,000,000 FCFA (about 6,100 to 13,720 EUR), while a native Android and iOS app costs 30 to 60% more. It replaces paper checklists re-keyed a week later with audits carrying geotagged, timestamped photos, synced as soon as the tablet is back online. With about ten tablets at 80,000 to 150,000 FCFA each, the investment pays back in 18 to 24 months on time saved, before even counting avoided incidents.
PWA, native app or generic forms
Three families of solutions can digitise safety and cleanliness audits. Figures are 2026 orders of magnitude in Lomé for 10 auditors and about 1,440 audits a year.
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost | Offline | Network-specific checklists and scoring | Management dashboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper and re-keying | 0 FCFA | 2,200,000 FCFA (printing and re-keying) | Yes | Yes, but unusable data | No |
| Free tools such as ODK or KoboToolbox | 0 to 1,500,000 FCFA of setup | 300,000 to 600,000 FCFA (hosting, support) | Yes | Limited | Basic |
| Field form SaaS | 500,000 FCFA | 1,500,000 to 2,400,000 FCFA (per-user licences) | Yes | Partial | Standard |
| Custom PWA | 4,000,000 to 9,000,000 FCFA | 900,000 to 1,440,000 FCFA (maintenance) | Yes | Full | Custom |
| Native Android and iOS app | 5,200,000 to 14,400,000 FCFA | 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA | Yes | Full | Custom |
A PWA installs from the browser, without app stores, and updates automatically. On recent Android tablets it accesses the camera, geolocation and local storage, which covers every need of a station audit. Kolonell's 2026 price grid classifies this type of project as a medium-complexity application: 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR).
Detailed budget by module
| Module | What it does | Budget (FCFA) |
|---|---|---|
| Configurable audit checklists | Safety, cleanliness, tanks, extinguishers, shop, with weighting | 800,000 to 1,800,000 |
| Offline mode and deferred sync | Local storage, queue, automatic resume without data loss | 800,000 to 1,800,000 |
| Geotagged, timestamped photos | Proof of presence, compression for 3G networks | 400,000 to 900,000 |
| Corrective action plans | Non-conformity, owner, deadline, SMS or email reminder | 500,000 to 1,200,000 |
| Management dashboard | Score by station, by zone, monthly trend | 800,000 to 1,800,000 |
| Users, roles and exports | Auditors, station managers, head office, Excel and PDF exports | 700,000 to 1,500,000 |
| Total | 4,000,000 to 9,000,000 |
Deferred sync is the technical point to require in writing: each audit must be timestamped when it is filled in, not when it is sent, and photos must upload in the background without blocking the auditor.
Hardware and recurring costs
| Item | Quantity | Unit cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-inch Android tablets | 10 | 80,000 to 150,000 FCFA | 800,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA |
| Rugged cases and screen protectors | 10 | 10,000 to 20,000 FCFA | 100,000 to 200,000 FCFA |
| Mobile data plans (5 to 10 GB a month) | 10 | 5,000 to 10,000 FCFA a month | 600,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA a year |
| Cloud hosting and backups | 1 | 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA a month | 300,000 to 600,000 FCFA a year |
| Kolonell Standard or Premium maintenance | 1 | 75,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month | 900,000 to 1,440,000 FCFA a year |
An audit with 15 compressed photos weighs about 5 to 8 MB: 12 audits a month per auditor fit easily within a 5 GB plan.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Illustrative scenario: Kodjo, operations director of a 60-station network in Lomé, has each station audited twice a month, i.e. 1,440 audits a year. Today, re-keying takes 30 minutes per audit (720 hours at 2,500 FCFA, or 1,800,000 FCFA), printing costs 430,000 FCFA, auditors lose 20 minutes per audit copying notes (480 hours at 4,000 FCFA, or 1,920,000 FCFA) and the quality manager spends 4 days a month consolidating the report (1,920,000 FCFA a year). Total: 6,070,000 FCFA a year (about 9,250 EUR). He invests 6,000,000 FCFA in the PWA and 1,100,000 FCFA in 10 tablets, then pays about 1,800,000 FCFA a year for data and maintenance. The net gain is 4,270,000 FCFA a year: payback in 20 months, without counting a leak or an expired extinguisher spotted a week earlier.
FAQ
Does a PWA really work without signal at an outlying station?
Yes, the auditor fills in the checklist and takes photos offline, and everything is stored on the tablet. Sync runs automatically when the network returns, with room for several hundred pending audits.
Can auditors use their personal phones?
It is possible, but dedicated tablets at 80,000 to 150,000 FCFA avoid full storage and privacy issues. They can also be locked in kiosk mode, with no distracting apps.
How do we prove an audit was actually done on site?
Each photo carries GPS coordinates and capture time, and the app compares the position with the station's location. A gap of more than 200 metres can trigger an alert at head office.
Why not build a native app straight away?
A native app costs 30 to 60% more and requires store releases for every update. It is mainly justified if you need advanced Bluetooth, for example to read tank probes.
How long until we are operational?
Allow 10 to 16 weeks for a medium-complexity PWA, including 2 weeks of testing at 5 pilot stations. Rollout to all 60 stations then takes 2 to 3 weeks, with half a day of training per auditor.
Let's scope your project. Send us a current audit checklist and your number of stations and auditors: we will price your offline PWA within the 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA range, with a pilot 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.
