The verdict in three sentences
In Ziguinchor, a student at Assane Seck University or a private institute often pays 15,000 to 40,000 FCFA to have an internship report or thesis formatted, then pays again for every correction the jury asks for. With 10 hours of training on styles, automatic tables of contents, bibliography and page numbering, you produce a clean document yourself in one evening instead of three days. The Kolonell course Professional Word costs 50,000 FCFA with a certificate, payable with Wave or Orange Money, and it keeps paying off for your CV, letters and work reports.
Why formatting costs you days
The most common problem is not writing, it is layout. A bachelor's or master's thesis in Ziguinchor usually runs 40 to 90 pages, with a general introduction, two or three parts, tables, figures, a bibliography and appendices. When headings are bolded by hand, the table of contents is typed line by line and page numbers shift with every added paragraph. A single remark from your supervisor, such as move section 2.3 before 2.1, can then cost a full day of rework.
The students who cope best use four Word features: heading styles (Heading 1, 2, 3), the automatic table of contents, captions for tables and figures with their own list, and source management for the bibliography. Add section breaks to number the front matter in Roman numerals and the body in Arabic numerals, and you cover 90% of university template requirements.
| Task on a 60-page thesis | By hand | With Word features mastered |
|---|---|---|
| Build the table of contents | 2 to 3 hours, redone at each correction | 2 minutes, one-click update |
| Renumber after adding a section | 1 to 2 hours | Automatic |
| List of tables and figures | 1 hour | 1 minute |
| Bibliography in the required format (APA, ISO 690) | 2 to 4 hours | 20 minutes once sources are entered |
| Front matter in Roman numerals | Often impossible without help | 10 minutes with section breaks |
| Rework after jury remarks | 1 day | 1 to 2 hours |
These durations are 2026 orders of magnitude observed on student documents. They show that the lost time does not come from Word itself, but from features nobody ever taught you.
Outsourcing, self-teaching or training: the real costs
In Ziguinchor you have three options. The first is to hand the document to a cybercafé or typing service near the Diabir campus or downtown. The second is to learn alone from YouTube videos. The third is a structured course with exercises and a certificate.
| Option | Indicative 2026 cost | Time | What you keep afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outsourced formatting (internship report) | 15,000 to 25,000 FCFA per document | 2 to 5 days | Nothing, you pay again next correction |
| Outsourced formatting (thesis) | 25,000 to 40,000 FCFA per version | 3 to 7 days | Nothing |
| In-person office skills class in Ziguinchor | 30,000 to 60,000 FCFA, fixed hours | 4 to 8 weeks | General basics, rarely thesis work |
| Free YouTube tutorials | 0 FCFA, plus mobile data | Variable, often abandoned | Tips without an overall method |
| Kolonell course Professional Word | 50,000 FCFA, certificate included | 10 hours at your own pace | A reusable method for all your documents |
If you must submit an internship report for your bachelor's and then a master's thesis, outsourcing quickly reaches 60,000 to 100,000 FCFA including corrections. The course is a one-time purchase.
The course Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that inspire confidence is level 2 of the track, 50,000 FCFA, 10 hours, taught in French. It covers formatting, styles, tables of contents, images, tables and reusable templates. It belongs to the Office and productivity track, which runs from computer basics to the full Office pack: the complete 5-level track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA.
What you will be able to do after 10 hours
| Skill | Use for the report or thesis | Use after graduation |
|---|---|---|
| Heading and paragraph styles | A consistent document that fits the template | Activity reports, procedures |
| Automatic table of contents | Accurate contents at every version | Tender files, memos |
| Captions and lists of tables | List pages required by the jury | Reports with figures |
| Section breaks and numbering | Roman then Arabic numerals | Contracts, long documents |
| Templates (.dotx) | Same layout reused from report to thesis | CVs, letters, invoices |
| Clean PDF export | Submission to the registrar without shifts | Online applications |
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 master's student in geography at Assane Seck University, must submit a 70-page thesis. Her supervisor asks for three rounds of corrections on average. Outsourcing, she would pay 35,000 FCFA for the first layout and then about 10,000 FCFA per revision, so 35,000 + 3 × 10,000 = 65,000 FCFA, not counting her end-of-cycle internship report at 20,000 FCFA. Total: 85,000 FCFA.
By taking the course at 50,000 FCFA, paid with Wave, she saves 35,000 FCFA in the first year. She also saves time: each revision takes her about 1 hour instead of a day of waiting at the typing service, roughly 3 days gained before her defense. And she leaves with a clean CV template for her applications.
FAQ
Do I need my own computer to take the course?
Yes, a computer with Word is best, even version 2016 or later. The 10 hours are split into short lessons you can complete in two or three weeks at 4 to 5 hours per week.
Does the course follow the Assane Seck University template?
It teaches the features that let you apply any template: margins, fonts, line spacing, styles and numbering. You then adapt your faculty's settings in 15 to 30 minutes.
Will the course help me write the content of my thesis?
No, it covers the form and structure of the document, not your research topic. However, a plan structured with styles helps you spot imbalances between parts, for example a 30-page part next to an 8-page one.
How do I pay from Ziguinchor?
Payment is made with Wave or Orange Money, in one go: 50,000 FCFA for this level. Access opens as soon as the payment is confirmed.
Is the certificate useful for an internship or job?
It is a Kolonell Academy certificate stating that you completed the program and its assessments. It is a useful addition to an intern's CV, since Word skills appear in most office job ads.
Take the next step. Enroll in Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that inspire confidence: 10 hours at your own pace, 50,000 FCFA, Kolonell Academy certificate included, 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.
