The verdict in three sentences
At Gaston Berger University (UGB), AI can save a student roughly 2 to 4 hours a week on reading, summarising and formatting a thesis, provided it is used as an assistant and not as the author. Examiners increasingly ask students to explain how they used AI: without a method, the risk is generic text, made-up references and a suspicion of plagiarism. A 10 hour course at 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR) teaches you to write effective requests, check every figure against the source page and organise your work.
What AI does well for a thesis, and what it must never do
You are an undergraduate or master's student at the Sanar campus, preparing a thesis or internship report, with a pile of PDFs to read and a deadline coming. An AI assistant helps summarise a 30 page article, compare two authors, suggest a detailed outline that you then correct, rephrase a muddled paragraph or proofread. It becomes dangerous when it writes for you or cites sources you never opened: AI assistants sometimes invent references that look credible.
| Task | Recommended use | Risk if misused | Indicative time saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and summarising articles | Summary, then check in the PDF | Misreading, wrong figures | 1 to 2 h a week |
| Building the outline | Suggested outline, then your own sorting | Generic, off-topic structure | 2 to 3 h per thesis |
| Drafting chapters | Rephrasing your own drafts | Impersonal text, plagiarism suspicion | 1 h a week |
| Bibliography | Checking reference formatting | Invented references | 1 to 2 h per thesis |
| Preparing the defence | 10 slide outline, likely examiner questions | Slides without your analysis | 2 to 3 h |
| Planning the week | Writing and reading schedule | None, if you follow it | 30 min a week |
These savings are a 2026 ballpark that depends on how reading-heavy your topic is. Check the current AI use rules with your faculty and supervisor: the safest rule is to declare your use and be able to defend every sentence.
What each option costs a student in Saint-Louis
| Option | Indicative 2026 cost | What you get | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free AI assistant tier | 0 FCFA, excluding mobile data | Basic answers | Usage caps, no method |
| Paid AI assistant subscription | About 13,000 FCFA a month (public USD price, variable) | More capacity, file analysis | 39,000 FCFA over 3 months of writing |
| Typing and formatting at a cybercafé | 30,000 to 75,000 FCFA per thesis | Formatted document | No help on substance |
| Free online tutorials | 0 FCFA | Scattered tips | No graded exercises |
| Kolonell Academy, level 2 | 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR), one-off | Method, 20 tested requests, templates, certificate | 10 hours to set aside |
The course Writing, analysing and organising your work with AI, taught in French, is level 2 Beginner of the Artificial Intelligence track: 5 modules, 10 hours, 60 graded exercises and 2 graded projects. The first is an analysis file on a real long document, checked page by page, ideal for your literature review. The second sets up your working system and measures time saved over four weeks. The full 5 level track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000.
The method that protects your thesis
A few habits make the difference in front of examiners. Always give context: discipline, your supervisor's brief, the expected level. Ask the assistant to cite the exact page of the PDF you supplied, then check it. Keep your drafts and a log of your requests: if an examiner asks, you can show your process. The module on analysing long documents trains exactly this, figure by figure.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Aïssatou, 23, a sociology master's student at UGB, with an 80 page thesis due in 12 weeks and 35 articles to read. Without a method, she plans to pay a cybercafé 50,000 FCFA for final formatting.
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
She takes the course over two weekends for 50,000 FCFA. She saves about 3 hours a week on reading, 36 hours over 12 weeks, and formats the thesis herself with the course templates: the 50,000 FCFA cybercafé fee is saved, which covers the course by submission day. She then offers formatting to two classmates at 20,000 FCFA each. This scenario is illustrative: your grade depends first on your own work.
FAQ
Is using AI for my thesis plagiarism?
Not if you use it to read, organise and proofread, and you declare it. Plagiarism starts when generated text is presented as your own: keep your drafts and check 100 % of your citations.
Do I need a paid subscription for the course?
No. The exercises work with free tiers of AI assistants. A subscription of about 13,000 FCFA a month can help with large PDFs, but it is optional.
How long does the course take?
10 hours in total, doable over two weekends or at 2 hours a week for 5 weeks. Lessons can be read on a phone, even on 3G.
Is the course useful after the thesis?
Yes. It mainly targets writing-heavy jobs: reports, letters, memos. A freelancer can offer document formatting at roughly 15,000 to 50,000 FCFA per document in 2026, with no guaranteed volume.
How do I pay from Saint-Louis, and is it in English?
The course is taught in French. You pay 50,000 FCFA once with Wave or Orange Money, and the certificate is issued once quizzes are passed at 70 % and the final project is submitted.
Take the next step. Enroll in Writing, analysing and organising your work with AI: 10 hours, 50,000 FCFA (76 EUR), 2 graded projects and an online verifiable certificate, taught in French. 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.
