The verdict in three sentences
In Thiès, the bookkeeper who can build a clean pivot table in a few minutes becomes the first person the chief accountant turns to. The course Practical Excel: tables, formulas and analysis for work, taught in French, costs 75,000 FCFA (about 115 EUR) for 14 hours with a verifiable certificate, less than a local center charging 90,000 to 150,000 FCFA. With a bonus or raise of 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA a month (2026 order of magnitude), the investment pays back in two to three months.
What pivot tables change in a Thiès firm or SME
In downtown accounting firms, hardware stores along the Dakar road or agri-processing companies in the region, a bookkeeper's work often looks the same: a sales journal typed by hand, totals redone on a calculator and a monthly report that takes half a day. A pivot table summarizes 3,000 sales lines by customer, month or product in under two minutes, and the figure stays correct if the data is clean.
That is exactly where most self-taught users get stuck: a pivot table built on poorly structured data (merged cells, dates stored as text, inconsistent labels) gives wrong totals. The course therefore starts with building a reliable table, then essential formulas, absolute references and 18% VAT, before moving to lookup functions and analysis.
| Typical bookkeeper task | Without an Excel method | With pivot tables and formulas |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly sales report by customer | 3 to 4 h | 15 to 20 min |
| Matching invoices and payments | 2 h a week | 30 min with XLOOKUP |
| Receivables aging | Manual, frequent errors | Automatic with IF and dates |
| 18% VAT on 500 invoices | 1 h | Instant |
| Quarterly summary for the manager | 1 day | 1 h with a chart |
| Checking duplicate entries | Rarely done | 5 min with conditional formatting |
What an Excel course costs in Thiès in 2026
You have three options. Office-skills training centers in Thiès offer in-person sessions, often in the evening or on Saturdays, with quality that depends heavily on the trainer. Free YouTube videos help with one specific function, but they follow no progression and give no recognized certificate. The Kolonell course is online, self-paced, built on FCFA cases: a shop in Thiès, a pharmacy in Bamako, a wholesaler in Cotonou.
| Option | 2026 price | Duration | Certificate | Local case exercises |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolonell Academy, Practical Excel | 75,000 FCFA (about 115 EUR) | 14 h, 30 lessons, 72 exercises | Yes, verifiable online | Yes, in FCFA |
| Local in-person center | 90,000 to 150,000 FCFA (137 to 229 EUR) | 20 to 30 h over 4 to 6 weeks | Center attestation | Varies |
| Private tutor | 7,000 to 12,000 FCFA per hour | As needed | No | Depends on tutor |
| Free YouTube videos | 0 FCFA (excluding mobile data) | Unlimited, unstructured | No | Rarely |
| International online certificate | 25,000 to 60,000 FCFA | 10 to 20 h | Yes, in English | No, cases in dollars |
The course is Intermediate level, level 3 of 5 in the Office tools and productivity track. The full track, levels 1 to 5, costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA when you take all five courses.
What you can do after 14 hours
| Module | Skill acquired | Concrete deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clean table | Structure usable data | Checked sales journal |
| 2. Essential formulas | Absolute references, percentages, 18% VAT | Invoice template |
| 3. Functions that decide | IF, COUNTIF, SUMIFS, XLOOKUP | Invoice that finds price and customer on its own |
| 4. Sorting, filters, lists | Drop-down lists, conditional formatting | Stock sheet with out-of-stock alerts |
| 5. Pivot tables and charts | Analysis by customer, month, product | Pivot table sales analysis |
| 6. Management tools | Assemble a complete workbook | Budget vs actual |
Two projects graded against a rubric punctuate the course. Everything works in Excel or Google Sheets, which matters when the firm does not have a Microsoft 365 license on every computer.
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Mariama, 27, a bookkeeper at a Thiès accounting firm, earns 180,000 FCFA a month. Every month-end she spends about 6 hours preparing sales reports for four of the firm's clients. She pays the 75,000 FCFA course fee with Wave and completes it over three weeks, five hours a week. Afterwards, her monthly reports take 1 h 30 instead of 6 h, freeing 4 h 30 each month. The firm assigns her receivables follow-up for two new clients and grants a 30,000 FCFA monthly bonus. Calculation: 75,000 ÷ 30,000 = 2.5 months to recover the course, then 360,000 FCFA gained over a year. This scenario is an estimate: the bonus depends on the employer.
FAQ
Do I need to know Excel already?
You should be able to open a workbook, enter data and do a simple sum. The course is level 3 of 5: if you are starting from scratch, begin with levels 1 and 2 of the track, or take the full track for 350,000 FCFA.
Can I follow it in Google Sheets if I don't have Excel?
Yes, all 72 exercises work in Excel and Google Sheets. XLOOKUP has existed in both tools since 2023, and a computer with 4 GB of RAM is enough.
How much time per week should I plan?
The 14 hours fit well into three to four weeks at 4 to 5 hours a week. Access stays open, so you can slow down during closing periods.
Do employers in Thiès recognize the certificate?
The Kolonell certificate is verifiable online through a unique link, which reassures recruiters. What convinces most is a demonstration: building a pivot table in 5 minutes during the interview.
How do I pay?
The 75,000 FCFA fee is paid with Wave or Orange Money, in one payment. Lessons open as soon as payment is confirmed.
Take the next step. Enroll in Practical Excel: tables, formulas and analysis for work: 14 hours, 75,000 FCFA (about 115 EUR), verifiable Kolonell 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.
