One offer, one rate, 10 prospects, and your first client paid through Wave within 30 days
A beginner freelancer in Dakar commonly charges 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA (about $40 to $125) for a simple project (a set of social media posts, a campaign visual, one website page, a short translation). Three to five projects a month bring in an extra 100,000 to 300,000 FCFA (about $165 to $500), depending on the skill and the time available (rates charged in Dakar in September 2026; no income is guaranteed).
Indicative estimate, depending on your market, pace and work. No income is guaranteed.
Who it is for: Recent graduates, students and employees who want extra income by selling a digital skill (copywriting, community management, Canva design, video editing, simple websites, data entry and virtual assistance, translation) to small businesses in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and the diaspora.
A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.
Module 1· 10 exercises
Decide which skill you sell, to what kind of small business, in what form and at what price, with a calculation that covers your time and your costs.
Module 2· 9 exercises
Build a list of 10 small businesses that need you, message them on WhatsApp or LinkedIn and land a 20-minute conversation.
Module 3· 9 exercises
Write a one-page quote that gets signed, collect a deposit through Wave or Orange Money, invoice correctly and deliver within the agreed scope.
Module 4· 9 exercises
Track your numbers over 30 days, turn a happy client into a public review and a referral, then decide what comes next: rate, legal status, pace.
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
Digital freelancing: land your first clients in 30 days
Certified skills
Number KOL-CERT-2026-XXXXX
Mohamed Bah
Founder, Kolonell Academy
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 1 of 5 · Essential
See the 5 track levelsNext level · 2/5 Practical
A working system in your business
A three-tier offer, a proposal that gets signed and discounts that always come with something in return
50,000 FCFA 10 h
View the next levelYour instructor
Founder of Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar. He sells and delivers websites, content and applications to small businesses in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Dubai, and works every day with freelance writers, designers and community managers whom he recruits and pays.
No. Module 1 has you produce, in two hours, a real sample of your work (for example 3 posts for a shop in your neighborhood) that serves as proof in your first messages. Your first clients then replace that sample with real references.
About 1 hour of lessons and 2 to 3 hours of action (prospecting, conversations, delivery) for 4 weeks. The plan is designed to fit around a job or studies, in the evenings and on weekends.
Not for your first projects: many small businesses pay a freelancer against a simple invoice and a Wave or Orange Money transfer. Module 4 explains at what volume, and for which clients (established companies, NGOs, public bodies), it becomes worthwhile to get a NINEA (Senegal's national tax ID) or, in Côte d'Ivoire, the entreprenant status (a simplified sole-trader status).
Copywriting, community management, Canva design, video editing, simple websites, data entry and virtual assistance, translation. The method (offer, rate, prospecting, quote, payment, review) is the same for all of them; the worked examples cover each one.
A beginner freelancer commonly charges 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA (about $40 to $125) for a simple project in Dakar or Abidjan. The goal of the course is 1 to 3 first clients in 30 days. The result depends on how many prospects you actually contact: learners who send fewer than 20 messages rarely sign anyone within the month.
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 and pass each module quiz with at least 70%. The certificate is generated automatically, with a unique number and a public verification page.
25,000 FCFA · 38 €
Essential