Thousands of individuals from over 80 countries have learned to speak a new language at the ACI Baobab Center. They have included:

• Technical assistants to Senegal and other African countries

• Researchers in various fields

• Staff members of national and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), foundations and volunteer organizations

• Scholarship recipients

• Ex-patriots living in Dakar

• Local residents

• Members of diplomatic missions and embassies and their spouses

• Missionaries working in development

• Military personnel

… and other individuals or groups seeking to learn a new language or strengthen their language skills or cross-cultural competency. (ACI also offers a full-service Study Abroad Program for Colleges and Universities. Click here for more information.)

Recently, organizations as diverse as Rotary International, Doctors Without Borders, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Japanese Volunteer Cooperation Association (JICA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), and the United States Department of the Army have sent participants to ACI to learn languages and receive cross-cultural training. Language and cultural orientation course content is adapted to meet the needs of each organization and participant. Recent programs have incorporated vocabulary and training on topics such as urban sanitation; cultural issues for NGO staff; scenarios and vocabulary relevant to development work; economics and finance and arts and crafts vocabulary (for pottery and batik), among others.

Our Location

Classes are held at the Baobab Training and Resource Center, a comfortable setting conducive to both serious study and friendly contact and communication with other students and Senegalese staff. Our training center recently consolidated into two adjacent locations and is well equipped to meet the  learning needs of our students. Located in SICAP Baobab, a suburb of Dakar with access to small shops and neighborhood restaurants, ACI’s facilities have seven classrooms, a conference room, office space, Wi-Fi access, a central court yard and kitchens for food preparation. The Center also provides students with filtered drinking water. All of our home-stay families are located within walking distance of the Center.

Options for Cross-Cultural Training and Other Services

The Baobab Center organizes half-day and full-day Cross-Cultural Orientation sessions specifically tailored to individual and organizational needs, providing an invaluable introduction on how to live and work harmoniously and productively in Senegal. In our Cultural Exploration workshops participants explore how values form the basis of cultural patterns. ACI trainers work with students to identify and understand core Senegalese values and how they play out in social behavior. The workshop closes with an authentic Senegalese meal shared among participants practicing local eating etiquette.

Home Stays For Visiting Language Learners

ACI language students taking more than 25 hours of language classes are eligible for a home stay with a Senegalese host family arranged by ACI. According to your profile and preferences, we will match you with a host family within walking distance from the Baobab Center.

For more information on home stays, please click here.

Details on Classes

Classes are organized according to request, and schedules are designed to respond to the specific personal and professional needs of each student. Courses range from intensive instruction (5 or more hours a day five days a week) to less arduous schedules. A usual intensive program is 5 hours a day, five days a week (Monday through Friday), but we are flexible and can schedule classes according to your needs. We limit class size to a maximum of six students (with comparable language levels), allowing ACI instructors to provide greater individual attention and speaking practice for each participant.

There are no set dates to start lessons. We recommend if you are coming from outside Senegal, that you budget based on a one-on-one instruction program, as we cannot guarantee that there will be other candidates for a group class upon your arrival. If there are other candidates at your level ready to share a class, then your course fees will be lower.

Registration and Placement

For non-beginners, language level is determined by an initial interview. Upon request, ACI attempts to group students with similar needs and levels to help reduce costs; feasibility depends on the current demand for a course, the compatibility of students’ needs and the lead-time provided to prepare the course. Student progress evaluations are provided periodically, as are mid-term and final interviews and evaluations. If you know the estimated timeframe when you plan to begin your language studies, please let us know, as the Center is closed for three weeks in the summer (usually the first three weeks of August).

Fees for Courses and Other Services

(Note: This information applies to courses for individuals, NGOs and public and private sector learners. For information on our Study Abroad program for Universities and High Schools, click here.)

Our prices are calculated in “francs cfa” - the currency of the “communauté financière d’Afrique”. This currency is usually valued somewhere between 450 – 500 francs cfa to one U.S. dollar; however, you should check with your financial institution for the current rate of exchange.

Our rates are subject to change at any time.

Course fees:

Private Individual Language Instruction:
13,000 francs cfa per hour (one-on-one instruction)

Group Language Instruction:
2 students per class: 7,500 francs cfa per hour per person
3 – 6 students per class: 5,000 francs cfa per hour per person

Based on the information above, you can advise us on how many hours of language instruction you intend to take. Depending on the individual program, it is possible to arrange a home stay with a Senegalese family nearby the Baobab Center.

Fees for Home Stays and Other Services:

Home stays:
For students in exchange programs: 237,000 francs cfa per month. This includes room (single or shared with a family member of the same sex) and board, plus laundry service once a week.

For adults who need more privacy and comfort (a private room and personal bathroom) the monthly fee is 265,125 francs cfa.

Airport pickup and drop off: 15,000 francs cfa each

Cultural orientation: Our cultural orientation session is a group activity. The fees is 450,000 francs cfa for a group of 12 - 15 participants, and 30,000 francs cfa for each additional participant. If a group has less than 12 participants, we will readjust costs.

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