The verdict in three sentences
If you run a stall at Touba's Ocass market, you already have the products, the suppliers and the trust of customers: what is missing is an organized online sales channel for Dakar and the diaspora. The Kolonell course « E-commerce : vendre en ligne au Sénégal et en Afrique francophone » (E-commerce: selling online in Senegal and French-speaking Africa) costs 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR or 83 USD) for 12 hours and teaches you to build that channel with WhatsApp Business, Wave, Orange Money and a reliable courier. Aim for 10 orders a week first, then 20 to 30 after the Magal, with a margin calculated on every parcel.
Why a Touba shopkeeper should sell online in 2026
During the Magal, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims pass through Touba and buy fabrics, bazin, incense, prayer beads, kitchenware and local food products. Once back in Dakar, Thiès, Paris or Milan, many want to buy again from the same trader but do not know how to order. The shopkeeper who gives them a WhatsApp Business number, a clear catalog and a way to pay with Wave or Orange Money captures those sales all year, instead of relying on a few busy weeks.
The most common problem is not technology, it is organization: prices sent one by one, payment screenshots never checked, parcels shipped without confirmation, delivery costs forgotten in the price. Those are exactly the points the course covers: choosing what to sell and at what price, setting up your channel, getting paid safely, delivering to Dakar, the regions and the diaspora, writing product descriptions that trigger the order, then building repeat customers.
| Way to learn | 2026 price (ballpark) | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolonell online course | 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR) | 12 h, self-paced | 6 modules, quizzes, graded final project, certificate |
| Classroom training in Dakar or Thiès | 75,000 to 150,000 FCFA | 2 to 4 days | In-person class, travel and a closed shop |
| Free YouTube videos | 0 FCFA | Unlimited | Scattered tips, rarely adapted to Wave or Touba |
| International online certificates | 15,000 to 60,000 FCFA | 10 to 40 h | General theory, no African payment methods |
| Learning alone by trial and error | 0 FCFA upfront | 6 to 12 months | Losses on refused parcels and fake screenshots |
For a shopkeeper, the real cost of classroom training also includes the days the shop stays closed. With the online course, you follow lessons in the evening or between customers, on your phone.
What an online sale from Touba costs and earns
The basic math is simple: selling price, minus purchase price, minus delivery, minus payment fees, minus losses. Touba-Dakar delivery by carrier or bus usually costs 2,000 to 3,500 FCFA per parcel, then 1,000 to 2,000 FCFA for the last mile inside Dakar. For the diaspora, you go through a freight forwarder or a traveling relative, with per-kilo rates to negotiate.
| Item | Bazin fabric (3 m) | Hardware (bundle) | Food product (5 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online selling price | 25,000 FCFA | 18,000 FCFA | 12,000 FCFA |
| Purchase price | 15,000 FCFA | 11,000 FCFA | 7,500 FCFA |
| Touba-Dakar delivery | 2,500 FCFA | 3,500 FCFA | 3,000 FCFA |
| Wave or Orange Money fees (about 1%) | 250 FCFA | 180 FCFA | 120 FCFA |
| Packaging | 300 FCFA | 300 FCFA | 400 FCFA |
| Net margin per order | 6,950 FCFA | 3,020 FCFA | 980 FCFA |
This table shows a rule taught in module 1: a heavy, cheap food product barely survives the delivery cost on its own. Either sell it in bundles, charge delivery to the customer, or keep it for Touba buyers. Fabrics and products with high value per kilo travel better.
| Weekly target | Orders | Revenue (20,000 FCFA basket) | Estimated net margin (25%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | 5 | 100,000 FCFA | 25,000 FCFA |
| Steady pace | 10 | 200,000 FCFA | 50,000 FCFA |
| Magal period | 30 | 600,000 FCFA | 150,000 FCFA |
| After the Magal, repeat buyers | 20 | 400,000 FCFA | 100,000 FCFA |
These are 2026 ballpark figures, not a promise: results depend on your products, your consistency and local competition.
What you learn, module by module
The course E-commerce: selling online in Senegal and French-speaking Africa is beginner level and taught in French. It needs neither a powerful computer nor a website: a smartphone and WhatsApp are enough. You build a 10-product catalog, a price grid with a floor price, an anti-dispute payment process (check every Wave or Orange Money payment inside the app, never on a screenshot), a published delivery grid and message templates to reply fast. The final project is your shop ready to sell, reviewed by an instructor.
This course is level 2 of the E-commerce and online selling track. The full 5-level track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000, useful if you later want to build a real online store or manage stock and logistics.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Mini case study
Serigne, 34, sells bazin and wax fabrics at the Ocass market. He pays the 50,000 FCFA fee by Wave and applies the method before the Magal. He builds a WhatsApp catalog of 12 fabrics, publishes a flat Dakar delivery fee of 3,500 FCFA and asks for payment before shipping.
- Weeks 1 to 3: 6 orders a week, average margin of 6,000 FCFA, so 36,000 FCFA a week.
- Payback on the course: 50,000 / 36,000 = about 1.4 weeks of sales.
- Magal week: 25 orders, so 150,000 FCFA in margin for the week.
- Losses avoided: before, 2 refused parcels a month at 3,500 FCFA of wasted transport, so 7,000 FCFA; with prepayment, zero.
This is an illustrative example built to show the math, not a testimonial.
FAQ
Do I need fluent French to follow the course?
Lessons are in plain French, with ready-to-copy message templates. Basic reading skills are enough, and you can replay each lesson as often as needed across the 12 hours of content.
How do I pay from Touba?
You pay 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR) by Wave or Orange Money from your phone. If anything goes wrong, the team answers on WhatsApp at +221 77 596 93 33.
Do I need a website?
No. The course relies on WhatsApp Business, Facebook and Instagram. Once you pass 30 orders a week, the next level of the track explains how to move to an online store.
Can I sell to the diaspora in France or Italy?
Yes, module 4 covers diaspora delivery: grouped shipments, negotiated per-kilo rates and Wave payment before dispatch. Expect 7 to 15 days of transit depending on the country.
Is there a certificate?
Yes, a numbered Kolonell Academy certificate is issued after the quizzes and the instructor's approval of your final project, within 5 business days.
Take the next step. Enroll in E-commerce: selling online in Senegal and French-speaking Africa: 12 hours online, 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR), Kolonell Academy certificate included. 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.
