The verdict in three sentences
A custom pharmacy management tool costs, in 2026, between 4 and 12 million FCFA (6,100 to 18,300 EUR), over a 3 to 6 month timeline. It manages stock, expiry alerts, barcode sales and billing, with Wave and Orange Money payment integrated. The return comes from fewer medicine stockouts and reduced expiry losses that eat a pharmacy's margin.
Budget by scope
A pharmacy manages thousands of references with critical expiry dates. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude in Lagos.
| Scope | Cost (FCFA) | In EUR | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP stock + barcode sales | 4,000,000 - 6,000,000 | 6,100 - 9,150 | 3 months |
| + expiry alerts + billing | 6,000,000 - 9,000,000 | 9,150 - 13,700 | 4-5 months |
| + Wave/OM + multi-branch | 9,000,000 - 12,000,000 | 13,700 - 18,300 | 6 months |
| Annual maintenance | 15-20 % of build | - | recurring |
| Barcode scanner + hardware | 150,000 - 400,000 | 230 - 610 | per till |
A pharmacy SaaS sometimes exists at 25,000-60,000 FCFA/month, but rarely covers local specifics and mobile payment.
Margin gains
A pharmacy's two money leaks are stockouts (lost sales) and expiry (discarded stock). Here is the quantified impact on a pharmacy doing 90 million FCFA of annual revenue.
| Metric | Before | After | Annual effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expiry losses | 3 % of stock | 1 % of stock | ~1.8 M FCFA |
| Medicine stockouts | 8 % of refs | 2 % of refs | sales recovered |
| Checkout time/sale | 90 s | 30 s | shorter queue |
| Monthly inventory | 2 days | 3 h | time returned |
| Wave/OM payments | 0 % | 40 % | less cash |
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Mini case study
Aminata runs a Lagos pharmacy doing 90 million FCFA of revenue, average stock 30 million FCFA. Her expiry losses are 3 % of stock, i.e. 900,000 FCFA/year, cut to 1 % (300,000 FCFA) thanks to alerts, i.e. 600,000 FCFA recovered. Add the stockout reduction: moving from 8 % to 2 % of out-of-stock references recovers a share of lost sales on 90 M FCFA. Against a 7,000,000 FCFA build, the combined expiry + stockout return lands in about 18 to 24 months.
FAQ
Custom software or a pharmacy SaaS? A SaaS at 25,000-60,000 FCFA/month suits a small pharmacy. Custom at 4-12 M FCFA is justified once you need Wave/OM payment, multi-branch or specific local rules.
How do expiry alerts work? The software tracks each batch's expiry date and alerts X days ahead, letting you sell or return products before loss, cutting losses from 3 % to 1 % of stock.
Is Wave and Orange Money payment included? Yes in the full scope (9-12 M FCFA): the customer pays by mobile money, reducing cash handling and securing the takings.
Is specific hardware needed? A barcode scanner (150,000-400,000 FCFA per till) speeds sales from 90 to 30 seconds and makes stock reliable.
What is the implementation timeline? From 3 months for a stock + sales MVP to 6 months for a full system with expiry, billing and mobile payment.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your reference count, sales volume and Wave/OM needs for a quote between 4 and 12 million FCFA. 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.
