By Mohamed Bah · Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar
Your first SME client signed and invoiced, with a monthly retainer and a report that gets it renewed
100,000 FCFA · 152 €
Programme
and 3 more modules
Wave / Orange Money payment, access within 24 business hours
A freelance community manager with 2 to 4 SME clients at 100,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month each earns 200,000 to 600,000 FCFA (about $330 to $1,000) a month, not counting ad budgets billed back to clients (retainers seen in Dakar and Abidjan in 2026: 75,000 to 300,000 FCFA, about $125 to $500, depending on scope).
Indicative estimate, depending on your market, pace and work. No income is guaranteed.
Your instructor
Founder of Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar. He designs websites, business applications and customer acquisition systems for SMEs in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Dubai, and trains the community managers who keep them running day to day.
See Kolonell’s work →No. In module 1 you build a credible portfolio using an SME you know personally or a clearly labeled fictional case, and in module 8 you prospect 20 SMEs with an outreach message and a free 15-minute audit.
A smartphone is enough to produce the content (Canva and CapCut both have mobile apps). A computer helps for the Google Sheets and Looker Studio dashboard in module 7, but everything can also be done on a phone.
About 34 hours, including the hands-on workshops, exercises and projects, or 4 to 5 hours a week for 7 to 8 weeks. Each lesson takes 15 to 20 minutes, each workshop 40 to 45 minutes, and all of them end with exercises applied to an SME case.
In Dakar and Abidjan in 2026, monthly retainers range from 75,000 FCFA (about $125: one platform, 8 posts) to 300,000 FCFA (about $500: three platforms, videos, ads and reporting). Module 8 walks you through building your three packages and your proposal.
Yes. Module 6 is dedicated to Meta and TikTok ads with Meta budgets of 3,000 to 20,000 FCFA (about $5 to $33) a day (in September 2026, TikTok Ads requires about $20 a day per ad group): objectives, audiences, step-by-step setup, reading results and A/B testing. You submit a configured campaign as a project.
Yes. The method is the same for an SME in Bamako or Douala or for a Senegalese restaurant in Paris. Modules 2 and 3 cover local editorial guidelines (French, Wolof, Nouchi), and module 8 covers remote payment through Wave, Orange Money or bank transfer.
Via Wave or Orange Money. After enrolling you receive a pro forma invoice by email with the number to pay. Send the proof on WhatsApp: your access is activated within 24 business hours.
For life, updates included. Learn at your own pace and revisit lessons as often as you need.
Complete the lessons, pass each module quiz with at least 70% and submit your final project: an instructor reviews and approves it (feedback within 5 working days). The certificate is then generated, with a unique number and a public verification page.
Small businesses in Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako and Douala all have a Facebook Page, an Instagram account or a WhatsApp Business number. Most rarely post, reply late and cannot tell whether social media pays off. They want someone reliable to handle it every month. This course teaches you that job end to end, freelance or in-house, right through to the contract and the invoice.
You begin with what SMEs actually pay in 2026, 75,000 to 300,000 FCFA a month depending on scope, then build the content strategy and editorial calendar. You shoot photos, carousels and short videos with a phone, Canva and CapCut, publish in the right format on six platforms and turn messages into sales. Then come small-budget Meta ads, the monthly report, prospecting, contracts, Wave or Orange Money deposits and client retention.
What you get: 8 modules, 34 hours of training, 129 graded exercises and 8 workshops on fictional cases with figures in FCFA. Each module has its PDF handout, a 10-question quiz and a graded project, 8 projects in all, ending with your final project: your business ready to invoice. A certificate anyone can verify online completes the course.
You leave with a content strategy, a one-month calendar, 12 finished pieces of content, a Meta campaign set up with its A/B test, a dashboard and a monthly report, a three-package offer, a contract template and a portfolio ready for prospects. A freelance community manager with 2 to 4 SME clients at 100,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month each earns 200,000 to 600,000 FCFA a month, not counting ad budgets billed back (retainers seen in Dakar and Abidjan in 2026). No income is guaranteed.
Level 4 of the Digital marketing and social media track, it follows level 3, "Online advertising: Meta and TikTok on a small budget", and prepares you for level 5, "Digital Marketing Manager", where you move from execution to leadership.
Who it is for: Young professionals, students, communications staff, customer service agents and entrepreneurs in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Cameroon who want to make community management their profession, as a freelancer or in-house, or serve diaspora clients from their phone.
A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.
Module 1· 16 exercises
Understand what an SME really expects, what it pays in 2026, choose your positioning and put together a credible first portfolio.
Module 2· 16 exercises
Move from "just post something" to a written strategy: goal, personas, content pillars, local editorial guidelines and a one-month editorial calendar.
Module 3· 16 exercises
Produce a week's worth of photos, carousels, short videos and copy in a single morning, with the equipment already in your pocket.
Module 4· 16 exercises
Know what to post, in which format and at what time on each network, and choose the two or three platforms that matter for each SME.
Module 5· 16 exercises
Reply fast, moderate without damage, move direct messages to WhatsApp, collect Google reviews and run a compliant giveaway.
Module 6· 17 exercises
Launch a click-to-WhatsApp campaign with 3,000 to 20,000 FCFA (about $5 to $33) a day, read it in cost per conversation and cost per customer, and make a call within seven days.
Module 7· 16 exercises
Track the metrics that matter to an SME, maintain a Google Sheets or Looker Studio dashboard and write the monthly report that justifies the invoice.
Module 8· 16 exercises
Prospect 20 SMEs, present a three-package offer, sign a simple contract, collect the deposit through Wave or Orange Money, invoice and make the relationship last.
Certificate included
A numbered certificate with your validated skills, a public page and a verification QR code. Add it to LinkedIn in one click.
Certificate of skills
Your name
has completed and validated the course
Freelance community manager: run social media for SMEs and bill every month
Skills developed
Number KOL-CERT-2026-XXXXX
Mohamed Bah
Founder, Kolonell Academy
After the course
Each certificate has a number anyone can verify online, and you can add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click.
Upload your CV from your profile: our team reviews it and helps you make it clearer and more convincing.
Learners who complete the course can join the Kolonell talent pool. Entry is earned: course completed, exercises submitted. Kolonell also draws on it for its own hiring.
Optional services, free for learners. This is not a promise of employment.
Download the poster to print it, send it to your employer or share it with colleagues. The full programme details every module.
This course is part of the track
Level 4 of 5 · Career
See the 5 track levelsNext level · 5/5 Expert
Senior level, projects and leadership
An annual marketing plan with the numbers, the budget and the team behind it, one you can defend before a CEO
200,000 FCFA 48 h
View the next level