The verdict in three sentences
Migrating and stabilising a site in Dakar realistically costs FCFA 450,000 to 1,200,000 (approx. EUR 685-1,830) as a project, plus FCFA 30,000 to 120,000/year of hosting depending on shared or VPS. The real differentiator in Senegal is not price, it is 3G latency: a well-configured CDN changes everything for your mobile visitors. Between local hosting and OVH/Scaleway in Europe, the right choice depends on your audience and payment constraints.
The migration budget in FCFA
An unstable site loses customers every week. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude to repatriate and cleanly migrate a business site in Dakar.
| Item | FCFA range | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Audit + migration plan | 150,000-300,000 | Assessment, backup, mapping |
| Content + code migration | 300,000-700,000 | Rework, tests, 301 redirects |
| Domain name + SSL | 45,000/year | .com/.sn + secure certificate |
| CDN configuration | 60,000-150,000 | Edge cache for 3G |
| QA + go-live | 100,000-200,000 | DNS switch, multi-network QA |
| Project total | 450,000-1,200,000 | Migration delivered |
The CDN item is often forgotten yet decisive: on a 3G connection in Dakar, it takes a load time from 6 s to under 2 s by serving pages from a nearby node.
Hosting: local vs Europe
The choice is not ideological, it is technical and financial. Compare both options on the criteria that truly matter.
| Criterion | Local hosting (Senegal) | OVH / Scaleway (Europe) |
|---|---|---|
| Shared/year | FCFA 30,000-60,000 | FCFA 40,000-80,000 |
| VPS/year | FCFA 80,000-120,000 | FCFA 90,000-180,000 |
| Latency for SN visitors | Low without CDN | Medium, fixed by CDN |
| Payment | Wave / Orange Money | Bank card required |
| Reliability/uptime | Variable | High (99.9 %) |
| French-language support | Yes, local | Yes |
The winning combo in 2026 for a mostly Senegalese audience: reliable European hosting plus a CDN with an African node. You keep uptime and solve 3G latency. Allow a project timeline of 3 to 6 weeks.
Mini case study
Mr Faye, manager of a 12-person trading SME in Dakar, has a site that goes down once a week and loads in 6 s on mobile. He invests FCFA 750,000 to migrate to Scaleway hosting with a CDN, plus FCFA 100,000/year for the VPS and FCFA 45,000 for domain/SSL. After the switch, mobile load drops to 1.8 s and the site stops crashing. On 3,000 monthly visitors and a contact rate rising from 1.1 % to 1.9 %, he gains 24 extra quote requests per month. At 15 % close and FCFA 400,000 average value, that is FCFA 1,440,000 in additional monthly revenue: the project pays back in under a month.
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FAQ
How much does migrating a site in Dakar cost in 2026?
Between FCFA 450,000 and 1,200,000 depending on site size and complexity. The audit and migration plan are about a third of the budget and prevent nasty surprises.
Is it better to host in Senegal or Europe?
For a mostly Senegalese audience, reliable European hosting (OVH/Scaleway) paired with a CDN with an African node offers the best uptime/latency trade-off. Local hosting stays relevant if card payment is a barrier.
Why is a CDN so important here?
On 3G, distance to the server weighs heavily. A CDN serves pages from a nearby node and drops load time from 6 s to under 2 s, directly improving your contact rate.
How much is hosting per year?
FCFA 30,000 to 60,000/year shared, and FCFA 80,000 to 180,000/year for a VPS. Add FCFA 45,000/year for the domain and SSL certificate.
Can I pay via Wave or Orange Money?
Yes for local hosting and for our migration work. European hosts generally require a bank card, which we can handle for you.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current URL and monthly traffic: we price the migration (order of magnitude FCFA 450,000-1,200,000) and the best hosting for your audience. 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.
