In Abidjan and Dakar, a loyalty program works best when customers join with their phone number, pay with the mobile money they already use (Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo or Moov Money) and get rewards priced in CFA francs. Collect clear consent before you send WhatsApp or SMS offers, and declare your customer file to ARTCI in Côte d'Ivoire or the CDP in Senegal.
This guide is written by TheCoins, which sells loyalty and commerce software. Every market fact comes from a public source listed at the end of the page.
How customers pay in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal
Mobile money is the main digital payment method in both countries. Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal belong to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), and together they made up about 65% of the union's mobile money transaction value in 2024, according to central bank data reported by Launch Base Africa. Across the union in 2024, Orange Money held about 41% of transaction value, Wave about 38%, MTN MoMo about 12% and Moov Money about 3%.
| Country | Main wallets | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Moov Money, Wave | ARTCI counted over 26 million active mobile money subscriptions at the end of 2024: Orange Money about 13.8 million, MTN MoMo about 8.5 million, Moov Money about 2.9 million. Registered merchant points rose from 1.13 million to 2.72 million in 2024, driven by QR codes. |
| Senegal | Wave, Orange Money | Wave held about 80% of electronic money balances in August 2026 and Orange Money about 19%, according to the WAEMU Banking Commission. Wave reports about 11 million active users in Senegal. |
For a loyalty program, this has two consequences. First, the phone number is already the customer's payment ID, so it should also be the loyalty ID. Second, rewards should be easy to read next to a mobile money receipt: a discount in CFA francs or a free item is clearer than an abstract points value. Fees and limits change often, so check current merchant terms with each operator.
TheCoins takes payment through the provider you connect; ask us which providers are live in your country before you launch.
See how payments work on TheCoins
Prices in CFA francs
Both countries use the West African CFA franc (XOF), issued by the BCEAO. Its parity with the euro is fixed at 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs, according to the Banque de France. You can price rewards in round CFA amounts that do not move with exchange rates. The US dollar does move against the CFA franc, so the TheCoins figures below are approximate.
| Plan | Price in USD | About in XOF |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $79 a month | about 46,400 XOF |
| Growth | $199 a month | about 116,800 XOF |
| Pro | $349 a month | about 204,900 XOF |
Plans are billed in US dollars. The XOF figures use 1 USD = 587.1 XOF (Wise mid-market rate, 9 November 2026) and will move with the rate. There is no commission on orders.
Delivery apps in Abidjan and Dakar
In Abidjan, Glovo operates and reported double-digit monthly growth in Côte d'Ivoire in a July 2026 interview with Financial Afrik. In August 2026 it held a road safety training for its riders in Cocody. Yango's food delivery service, launched as Yango Deli, extended to Abobo, Adjamé and Port-Bouët in March 2024, and in June 2026 Yango said it plans a premium Yango Food service in the country.
In Dakar, Yango launched food delivery in February 2025 and waived its commission for restaurants during the first months. Jumia closed its food delivery in Côte d'Ivoire at the end of 2023 and had already stopped it in Senegal in 2022, so do not plan around Jumia Food.
Delivery apps bring new customers, but the app keeps the customer relationship. A simple method: put a card with a QR code in every delivery bag that invites the customer to join your own program and to order direct next time.
Calculate what direct orders save you
WhatsApp, SMS and consent
Senegal had about 11.5 million internet users in October 2025, around 61% of the population, and 23.3 million mobile connections, according to DataReportal. Many customers can receive WhatsApp messages, but some still depend on SMS. Your program should support both channels and send offers only to customers who agreed.
- Ask for consent at sign-up with a separate, unticked box for offers by WhatsApp or SMS.
- Say what you will send and how often, for example one offer a week.
- Give a simple way to stop messages, such as replying STOP.
- Keep the date and channel of each consent in the customer record.
- Send service messages, such as order status or points balance, separately from promotions.
Data protection rules in both countries
Côte d'Ivoire: Law 2013-450 of 19 June 2013 on the protection of personal data is enforced by ARTCI. Most processing needs a prior declaration to ARTCI. Consent must be explicit and informed, people can object to marketing free of charge, and direct marketing without prior consent carries criminal penalties. Transfers of personal data to another country need prior ARTCI authorization.
Senegal: Law 2008-12 of 25 January 2008 created the Personal Data Commission (CDP). Article 18 requires processing to be declared to the CDP, and Article 47 prohibits direct marketing with a person's data without prior consent. In 2014 the CDP reminded senders of promotional SMS of three conditions: declare the database, obtain the recipient's consent, and let the recipient stop the messages at any time.
For a loyalty program, this means: declare your customer file, collect only what you use (name, phone number, visits and points), record consent for marketing, and ask your software provider where the data is hosted. This is general information, not legal advice. Check with ARTCI, the CDP or a local lawyer.
Worked example: a café in Abidjan or Dakar
The numbers below are an example with assumed figures, not results from a real business.
| Item | Assumption | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Members | 400 members visit 3 times a month | 1,200 member visits a month |
| Average ticket | 3,500 XOF | 4,200,000 XOF member sales a month |
| Earn rule | 1 coin per 100 XOF; a 1,500 XOF reward at 500 coins | Reward value = 1,500 / 50,000 = 3% of member spend |
| Reward cost | 3% of 4,200,000 XOF; food cost is 40% of menu price | 126,000 XOF at menu price, about 50,400 XOF real cost |
| Software | TheCoins Basic | about 46,400 XOF a month |
| Break-even | 60% gross margin per visit = 2,100 XOF | (50,400 + 46,400) / 2,100 = about 46 extra visits a month |
Forty-six extra visits is about 4% more than the 1,200 member visits. If the program does not produce that, change the reward or the offer before you spend more. Each month, compare the return rate and visit frequency of members with those of non-members.
Where TheCoins fits
TheCoins is one option among several. It fits a restaurant, café or shop that wants its own program under its own name.
- Customer screens in French, plus Arabic, English and Spanish.
- Coins loyalty with tiers, referrals and rewards; customers join with a phone number or a QR code.
- Apple Wallet loyalty cards and gift cards, so customers do not need to download an app.
- Online store, ordering links and QR ordering with no commission per order.
- WhatsApp, SMS, email and push journeys, for example a message after 30 days without a visit.
- Multi-branch support and analytics if you have outlets in both Abidjan and Dakar.
See how coins loyalty works on TheCoins
Sources
- Africa-France monetary cooperation: 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs (Banque de France, 2026)
- US dollars to CFA francs BCEAO today (Wise, November 2026)
- Wave edges closer to dethroning Orange in West Africa (Launch Base Africa, March 2026)
- Mobile money et banques en Côte d'Ivoire (Les Afriques, September 2026)
- Mobile money au Sénégal : Wave à 80 % du marché (Senego, August 2026)
- Wave tightens its grip on Senegal (Launch Base Africa, May 2026)
- Interview with Glovo co-founder Sacha Michaud (Financial Afrik, July 2026)
- Communiqué de presse : Glovo Côte d'Ivoire (Fraternité Matin, August 2026)
- Yango Deli extends to Abobo, Adjamé and Port-Bouët (Abidjan.net, March 2024)
- Yango Group hosts Innovation Day 2026 in Abidjan (TechCabal, June 2026)
- Yango Food Delivery débarque au Sénégal (Senego, February 2025)
- Jumia ferme son service de livraison de nourriture sur sept marchés (Daba Finance, December 2023)
- Data protection in Côte d'Ivoire: Law 2013-450 (DLA Piper, 2026)
- Loi n° 2008-12 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel, Senegal (WIPO Lex)
- La CDP en croisade contre les SMS illégaux (Osiris / Le Soleil, June 2014)
- Digital 2026: Senegal (DataReportal)
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