The verdict in three sentences
A custom business management app built in West Africa (Abidjan/Dakar) is quoted in 2026 between 8,000,000 and 30,000,000 FCFA (approx. 12,200-45,700 EUR), in 3 to 5 months. The budget follows the number of modules — stock, invoicing, reporting, HR — not company size. For an international buyer, the region offers competitive day rates at comparable engineering quality, a near-European time zone and French/English as working languages.
Cost per module in FCFA and EUR
Breaking the quote down by module makes the investment legible and lets you deliver in batches to spread cash flow.
| Module | What it covers | FCFA range | EUR equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core (auth, roles, base) | Accounts, permissions, infra | 2,500,000-5,000,000 | 3,800-7,600 EUR |
| Stock management | In/out, alerts, inventory | 2,000,000-6,000,000 | 3,050-9,150 EUR |
| Invoicing & quotes | Invoices, credit notes, VAT, exports | 2,500,000-6,500,000 | 3,800-9,900 EUR |
| Reporting / dashboards | KPIs, Excel/PDF exports | 1,500,000-5,000,000 | 2,300-7,600 EUR |
| Payment integration (Wave/OM) | Mobile money collection | 1,500,000-4,000,000 | 2,300-6,100 EUR |
| Mobile app (PWA) | Offline field access | 2,000,000-6,000,000 | 3,050-9,150 EUR |
| Data migration | Spreadsheet import | 800,000-3,000,000 | 1,220-4,570 EUR |
Offshore West Africa vs Western Europe benchmark
For an international decision maker, West African offshore offers a competitive day rate at comparable quality, with a time zone close to Europe.
| Item | Abidjan / Dakar 2026 | Western Europe | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior dev day rate | 300-450 EUR | 550-800 EUR | -35 to -50% |
| 4-module app (build) | 15,000-28,000 EUR | 55,000-95,000 EUR | -50 to -70% |
| Time zone | GMT (0-2 h offset) | Reference | Synchronous collaboration |
| Working language | French / English | French / English | No barrier |
| Annual maintenance | 15-20% of build | 15-20% of build | Comparable |
At equal engineering quality (TypeScript, tests, CI/CD), the cost gap is reinvested into more modules or better UX rather than the hourly rate.
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Mini case study
Aminata, manager of a medical equipment distributor in Abidjan-Plateau, tracks stock and invoices across two Google Sheets, with recurring month-end stock discrepancies. We deliver a 3-module app (stock, invoicing, reporting) with Wave collection for 16,500,000 FCFA (approx. 25,150 EUR) in 4 months. By cutting 15 hrs/week of manual reconciliation and reducing stockouts, she recovers the equivalent of half a role and secures her margin. Estimated payback: roughly 15 to 18 months.
FAQ
Why pay for a custom app rather than off-the-shelf software? When no market tool fits your processes (approval flows, local mobile money payments), custom avoids bending your business to a tool. Otherwise, a standard SaaS stays cheaper.
Can we pay in installments? Yes: splitting by module delivered every 4-6 weeks lets you stage payment and put value into production early.
Is Wave and Orange Money integration included? It's a module in its own right (1,500,000-4,000,000 FCFA), with tested confirmation webhooks to make collection reliable.
What does maintenance cost? Plan 15 to 20% of build cost per year, plus cloud hosting (typically 100,000-350,000 FCFA/month depending on load).
Do we need to migrate old data? Almost always: a spreadsheet import (800,000-3,000,000 FCFA) avoids starting from scratch and secures your history.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your priority modules, data volume and an indicative FCFA budget: we scope and deliver in batches. 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.
