The verdict in three sentences
A bachelor's or master's student in Ziguinchor who pays a typing shop to format an internship report and then a thesis easily spends 30,000 to 80,000 FCFA, without being able to fix a single page number alone. A 10-hour Word course at 50,000 FCFA teaches styles, the automatic table of contents and the bibliography, so the document stays under your control until the defence. It is also the skill recruiters check first for any office job.
The real cost of a poorly handled thesis
At Assane Seck University and the private institutes of Ziguinchor, a master's thesis often runs to 50 to 80 pages, with numbered headings, tables, figures, footnotes and a formatted bibliography. The supervisor sends it back two to four times. Every version changed by a typist is paid again, and every new chapter shifts the whole contents page if it was typed by hand.
| Expense | Indicative 2026 cost in Ziguinchor | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Formatting an internship report (30 pages) | 15,000 to 25,000 FCFA | 1 to 2 versions |
| Formatting a thesis (60 pages) | 25,000 to 40,000 FCFA | 2 to 4 versions |
| Layout fixes after feedback | 5,000 to 10,000 FCFA | Each round |
| Full typing by a typing shop | 300 to 500 FCFA per page | Once |
| Printing and binding (3 copies) | 10,000 to 18,000 FCFA | Once |
| CV and cover letter done by someone else | 3,000 to 10,000 FCFA | Each application |
These amounts are 2026 orders of magnitude. Added up over a bachelor's plus master's cycle, outsourced formatting often exceeds 60,000 FCFA, more than the price of the course.
What you learn and how it compares
| Option | 2026 price | Duration | Autonomy gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typing shop for every document | 15,000 to 40,000 FCFA per document | Immediate | None, dependent on each version |
| Classes at a centre in Ziguinchor | 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA a month | 1 to 2 months | Medium, depends on the trainer |
| YouTube tutorials | 0 FCFA (excluding data) | Variable | Partial, no correction |
| Kolonell Academy, level 2 Word | 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR) | 10 h | Full, corrected exercises, certificate |
| Office Skills track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | Several months | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, assistant role |
The course Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that inspire confidence is level 2 of the track, 50,000 FCFA for 10 h, taught in French. Key points for a student:
- Heading styles: Heading 1, 2 and 3 applied once, automatic chapter numbering.
- Automatic table of contents: updated in one click after each round of supervisor comments.
- Captions and list of figures for tables and charts.
- Footnotes, citations and bibliography in the required format (APA or your faculty's standard).
- Section breaks to number front matter in Roman numerals and the body in Arabic numerals.
- A clean CV and cover letter, to start job hunting as soon as you have defended.
If you are a complete beginner on a computer, start with level 1 at 25,000 FCFA. The full Office Skills and Productivity track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA.
Planning your learning before the deadline
The common mistake is learning Word in the week the report is due. It is better to take the 10 hours during your internship, one hour three times a week, and apply each lesson straight to your report. In three to four weeks the structure is in place and all that is left is writing.
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.
Fatou, 23, a first-year master's student in geography in Ziguinchor, must hand in a 35-page internship report in June and a 70-page thesis the following year. The typing shop quotes 20,000 FCFA for the report, 35,000 FCFA for the thesis and about 7,000 FCFA per correction, with 4 rounds expected in total. That is 83,000 FCFA.
By taking the Word course at 50,000 FCFA, paid with Orange Money, she does everything herself and saves about 33,000 FCFA, not counting the CVs she will adapt for each application. Above all, when her supervisor asks her to move a chapter the night before submission, she updates the contents page in ten seconds.
FAQ
Is free Google Docs enough for a thesis?
Google Docs handles headings and a contents page, but section breaks and mixed numbering are more limited. Most faculties expect a Word or PDF file, and the 10-hour course also applies to LibreOffice for 80% of the features.
How long does it take to format a 60-page thesis alone?
With styles in place from the start, plan 2 to 4 hours of finishing instead of two days of manual fixes. The table of contents updates in one click.
Does the course cover the bibliography?
Yes: citations, sources and an automatically generated bibliography in the chosen standard. This avoids the omissions that often cost 1 to 2 points at the defence.
I do not have a computer, what can I do?
A refurbished laptop costs from 120,000 FCFA in Ziguinchor, or an internet café charges 300 to 500 FCFA an hour. The videos also play on a smartphone.
How do I enroll?
Pay 50,000 FCFA by Wave or Orange Money, get immediate access once confirmed, and a verifiable certificate at the end.
Take the next step. Enroll in Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that inspire confidence: 10 hours, 50,000 FCFA, verifiable 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.
