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SmartSana Academy

Start from the phone in your hand. Finish ready for the help desk. Computer fundamentals and IT support training in Yaoundé and online

IT support is the work of keeping people and their computers working: setting up machines and accounts, fixing what breaks, and explaining the fix so it stays fixed. It starts with using a computer the way an office expects, which is where this programme starts too.

A woman working on a laptop with a mouse, her phone on the desk beside it
Level 1
Digital Foundations
Certification
FC0-U71Exam $138, paid separately
Next cohort
Tue 10 Nov 2026Then every two months
Tuition
135 000 FCFAPer level (founding rate, 10 November 2026 cohort only)
Format
Campus & onlineMelen, opposite POLYTECH
0 of 20 seats taken20 left for the next cohort

Updated by hand when a place is confirmed, not a countdown that resets.

Get the brochure (PDF)

The brochure has the full three-level curriculum, the certification costs and the cohort dates in one PDF. We send it once you have told us who you are, so that an advisor can follow up. The WhatsApp button shares this page with whoever is helping you decide.

The programme

In short: Computer Fundamentals & IT Support at SmartSana Academy is a three-level programme in iT support and the everyday computer. Each level is 11 teaching weeks at about 22 hours a week, on campus in Melen, Yaoundé, or fully online. Level 1, Digital Foundations, ends in the CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71) certification and costs 135 000 FCFA in tuition at the founding rate for the cohort starting 10 November 2026 (150 000 FCFA for later cohorts), plus the exam at the vendor’s price. The next cohort starts on Tuesday 10 November 2026.

Who it suits

Built for people who have only ever used a phone. Week one starts with the mouse, the keyboard and where a file goes when you save it. Level 3 graduates can enter the Cloud programme at Level 2.

Entry requirements: basic computer literacy and working French or English. No degree and no coding background. If you can use a browser, send an email and open a spreadsheet, you meet the bar for Level 1, and the quiz in the Admission tab will tell you whether you should start higher.

Using the tools well, and knowing where to stop

You will use AI tools throughout: to clean a messy export, draft a report section, translate between French and English or get unstuck. This is simply how the work is done now. Two habits come with it, and we assess both: you check before you send, and personal data stays where it belongs. Cameroon’s data protection law requires authorisation before personal data leaves the country, and uploading a customer list to a service hosted abroad is exactly that.

The three levels

Three months each, and you only ever commit to the next twelve weeks. Each level ends in its own compulsory certification, so stopping after any one of them leaves you with something an employer recognises rather than a part-finished course.

Digital Foundations

Level 1 · 3 months

Use a computer the way an office expects: files, documents, spreadsheets up to pivot tables, email and video calls, safely, and fix the everyday problems before calling anyone.

Certification: CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)

IT Support Technician

Level 2 · 3 months

Diagnose and repair computers, phones and small networks, and take a help desk ticket from the first call to a written fix.

Certification: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)

IT Support Professional

Level 3 · 3 months

Administer Windows and Linux machines, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for an organisation, keep them secure, and run a client’s support under supervision.

Certification: CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)

After Level 2, a two-month remote placement with a partner company. Unpaid, arranged by us, with conditions set out in the enrolment terms. How it works, and what it is not.

Curriculum

All three levels, published in full. Week one starts where the programme says it starts: we do not assume knowledge we have not taught.

Level 1, week by week: the cohort starting 10 November 2026
WeekFromFocusWhat you build
110 NovThe computer from a phone user’s point of view: mouse, keyboard, windows, files and folders, and where things go when you save them.Your own organised folders, and a typing speed you will beat by week 10.
216 NovDocuments in Word: formatting, styles, tables, a letter and a CV that look professional.A CV and a formal letter, both ready to send.
323 NovExcel I: entering data, formulas, sorting, filtering and simple charts.A budget workbook for a real household or small shop.
430 NovExcel II: functions, lookups and pivot tables.A sales report built with a pivot table from real data.
57 DecEmail, calendars, shared drives and video calls: working the way an office works.A meeting organised end to end: invitation, shared document, call and minutes.
614 DecHow the internet works: networks, Wi-Fi, addresses and browsers. Installing and updating software.Project 1: a home or office Wi-Fi network set up and documented.
74 JanSecurity: passwords, two-factor authentication, phishing, Mobile Money scams and backups.Project 2: a security check-up of your own accounts and devices.
811 JanUsing an assistant honestly: asking well, checking what it says, and knowing when not to use it.Project 3: a short report drafted with an assistant, every claim checked and sourced.
918 JanFirst-line troubleshooting: a method, the usual faults, and how to explain a fix to the person who has the problem.Project 4: a log of five real faults, found, fixed and explained.
1025 JanInside the machine: hardware and operating system basics, and preparation for Tech+.A computer taken apart and put back together, and a full mock exam.
111 FebCertification week. Portfolio finalised and defended.You sit the CompTIA Tech+ exam (FC0-U71). Demo day, and your Career Passport.

Levels 2 and 3

Same shape: eleven teaching weeks at about 22 hours a week, a compulsory certification, and a capstone. Each is enrolled and priced separately.

Level 2 · IT Support Technician11 weeks · ~22 h a week

You leave able to: Diagnose and repair computers, phones and small networks, and take a help desk ticket from the first call to a written fix.

  • Hardware: components, assembly, upgrades and repair
  • Mobile devices and printers
  • Networks: cabling, Wi-Fi, addressing and small-office networks
  • Virtualisation and cloud basics
  • Troubleshooting method and the help desk: tickets, calls, escalation
  • Assistants on the help desk: drafting replies and diagnosing faster, and checking what they suggest
  • Professional core: writing, English and French, client meetings
  • Capstone: a small office set up and supported end to end

Certification: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201), $253. The first half of CompTIA A+, the credential help desks in Canada and the United States list first. It is an expensive exam, and we say so plainly.

Roles this level points at: IT support technician · help desk analyst · field technician · computer repair technician

The placement follows this level. Two months, remote, with a partner company, arranged by us. Details.
Level 3 · IT Support Professional11 weeks · ~22 h a week

You leave able to: Administer Windows and Linux machines, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for an organisation, keep them secure, and run a client’s support under supervision.

  • Windows administration: installation, accounts, policies, recovery
  • Linux for support technicians
  • Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace administration
  • Security: malware, access, backups and safe procedures
  • Scripting for support: PowerShell and Bash, drafted with an assistant and checked by you
  • SmartSana Labs: running a client’s IT support under supervision
  • Consulting practice and technical documentation
  • Portfolio and defence

Certification: CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202), $253. The second half of A+: pass both cores and you hold the full CompTIA A+. It is expensive, and we say so plainly. Finishing this level also lets you enter the Cloud programme at Level 2.

Roles this level points at: IT support specialist · systems support analyst · desktop support engineer · IT officer for a small organisation

Tools you will actually use

  • Windows 11
  • Word
  • Excel
  • Outlook
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • Microsoft Entra ID
  • Ubuntu Linux
  • PowerShell
  • Bash
  • Wireshark

All of them free, free for students, or provided. We provision your sandbox accounts (no payment card needed), and you cannot run up a bill.

What a week actually contains

Taught sessions, not a video library: live teaching, a daily activity, a weekly assignment turned in and graded, project work, and assessment. The detail is in the weekly rhythm tab.

Budget about 22 hours a week. Roughly three hours a day, or weekday evenings plus one weekend day. We say this loudly before you pay, not after.

Certification

Every level ends with a certification exam set, invigilated and marked by AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA, Meta, Databricks or the Python Institute. It is compulsory. It is the part of your record that does not depend on anybody believing us.

  • It is read the same way everywhere. A recruiter in Lisbon, a hiring manager in Toronto and an HR officer in Douala all recognise PL-300 or AWS Solutions Architect. They do not recognise a certificate from a school they have never heard of, and neither would we in their position.
  • It outranks our own certificate, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Ours records what we taught and assessed. Theirs records that an independent company tested you under exam conditions. If you only keep one line on your CV, keep theirs.
  • It is portable across borders and across time. It is the credential that survives you leaving Cameroon, changing sector, or applying somewhere nobody has heard of your last employer.
  • We buy the voucher for you, at the vendor’s own price, with no markup. Cameroonian cards are frequently rejected at Pearson VUE checkout. Solving that is our job, not yours. You pay us the equivalent in FCFA at the day’s rate.

On this programme

LevelCertificationVendor price (USD)Why this one
Level 1CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)$138CompTIA’s vendor-neutral foundation exam, and the first rung of the ladder that leads to A+ at Level 3. It covers what this level teaches: hardware, software, networks, security and first-line troubleshooting.
Level 2CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)$253The first half of CompTIA A+, the credential help desks in Canada and the United States list first. It is an expensive exam, and we say so plainly.
Level 3CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)$253The second half of A+: pass both cores and you hold the full CompTIA A+. It is expensive, and we say so plainly. Finishing this level also lets you enter the Cloud programme at Level 2.
  • CompTIATech+ · A+ Core 1 · A+ Core 2

These certifications are set, invigilated and awarded by the companies named. We prepare you for them and we buy the voucher at the vendor’s own price. The marks above identify those certifications and imply no partnership with, sponsorship by or endorsement from their owners.

Placement & careers

After Level 2, learners who meet the conditions are placed on a two-month remote placement with a partner company in the United States. We arrange it. It is unpaid, it is part of the programme, and it is described in full in the enrolment terms rather than in a headline, because people in this region have been sold bigger promises than this by institutions that could not keep them.

  • Real tasks with a deadline, for someone who needs them done. What you produce goes in your portfolio with the host’s agreement.
  • A supervisor who will take a reference call. That is the part a junior CV never has, and the part a hiring manager abroad actually checks.
  • Two months of relevant work experience on paper, which is what immigration systems and remote employers count, where a certificate alone does not.
  • Unpaid, remote, and not a job offer. Nobody is charged for it and nobody is paid for it. There is no travel. Neither we nor the host undertake to hire you.
Every learner who completes Level 2 and meets the conditions is placed. The conditions are set out in the enrolment terms.

Where this trade is practised

One trade, many places to practise it. The core does not change between employers; the vocabulary and the subject matter do, and those you pick up on the job.

Where they workRoles you would apply for
Banks, microfinance and insuranceIT support · help desk · branch technician
Schools, hospitals and NGOsIT officer · systems support · training colleagues on their tools
Small businesses and IT service companiesField technician · repair technician · managed-services support
Remote help desks abroadMuch help desk work is done remotely, and A+ is the credential help desks in Canada and the United States list first.

What each level qualifies you for

LevelThe roleJob titles you would apply for
Level 1Office and digital assistantOffice assistant · receptionist with IT duties · data entry clerk · junior help desk assistant
Level 2IT support technicianIT support technician · help desk analyst · field technician · computer repair technician
Level 3IT support specialistIT support specialist · systems support analyst · desktop support engineer · IT officer for a small organisation

What you leave with

A certification that outranks ours

Awarded by AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA, Meta, Databricks or the Python Institute, sat under exam conditions in week 11, and compulsory at every level. It is the line on your CV that works in a country where nobody has heard of us.

Two months inside a partner company

A remote placement after Level 2, arranged by us, on real tasks with a real deadline, and a supervisor who will take a reference call. Unpaid, and written into the enrolment terms rather than a slogan.

Work that exists

Three to five finished projects per level, live on the internet, built on real problems from real organisations, several of them our own clients. Not practice datasets every other candidate has also used.

The Career Passport

Your transcript, skills matrix, certifications and every project, behind a link an employer can open and check. Each skill marked as independently demonstrated points to the work that earned it. We never attest to something we did not watch you do.

Our own certificate is the least valuable thing on that list, and we will say so to your face. It records what we taught and assessed. It is not a State diploma (in Cameroon, only the State issues those), and it is not an AWS or Microsoft certification. Three different things; your CV should list them separately, in that order of weight, with ours last.

What we will not promise

  • A job. We can bring you to the hiring bar, prepare you for a vendor certification set to an international standard, put two months of work for a partner company on your CV and introduce you to employers. We cannot make anyone hire you, and any school that says otherwise is selling something.
  • That it will be light. Twenty-two hours a week for eleven weeks. If that does not fit your life right now, say so before you pay rather than after.
  • A visa. The internship and the certification both help an immigration file, one as relevant work experience, the other as an assessed credential. Neither is a visa, neither guarantees one, and we will never sell you one.
  • An employment rate. We have not run a cohort to completion yet, so we have no outcome figures and we will not borrow anyone else’s. When we have them, we will publish them with the methodology, the cohort size, the date and the response rate, including the bad ones.

Weekly rhythm

This is not a video library you dip into. There is a structure, and the structure is what gets people to the finish line.

What a week containsWhat that means
Two to three live sessionsTaught live, recorded within the hour, and always downloadable. A power cut or a night shift costs you nothing.
One set activity a dayTied to a module, and completion is recorded. Fifteen minutes on a light day, two hours on a heavy one.
One assignment, turned inGraded, with written feedback from your coach, due the same day every week. Forty-eight hours of grace on each.
Project workThe things that end up in your portfolio, built on real data and real briefs from real organisations, several of them our own clients.
About 22 hours in allRoughly three hours a day, or weekday evenings plus one weekend day, for eleven weeks.

If you go quiet for two days, your coach phones you

Not an email. One coach for every twelve learners, and keeping you in the programme is the part of their job we measure.

Every deadline carries 48 hours of grace

Because the power goes out, and because night shifts exist. Sessions are recorded and downloadable for the same reason.

The campus, Melen

Opposite POLYTECH. Free high-bandwidth wifi, lab machines including Windows workstations for Power BI, and backup power so the room works when the grid does not. Open to you throughout your level, during opening hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 9 pm; Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm): you can come in simply because the connection is better than at home.

Every programme runs both ways. On campus and fully online, from the same timetable, with the same assignments and the same coach. You choose when you enrol and you can switch between them mid-level by telling your coach.

Dates & fees

Cohort calendar

Every cohort, every programme: one new intake every two months
StartsEndsApplications closeOrientation weekStatus
Tue 10 Nov 2026Fri 5 Feb 2027Sun 1 Nov 2026Mon 2 – Fri 6 NovEnrolling
Mon 11 Jan 2027Mon 29 Mar 2027Sun 3 Jan 2027Mon 4 – Fri 8 JanOpens later
Mon 8 Mar 2027Mon 24 May 2027Sun 28 Feb 2027Mon 1 – Fri 5 MarOpens later
Mon 10 May 2027Mon 26 Jul 2027Sun 2 May 2027Mon 3 – Fri 7 MayOpens later
Mon 12 Jul 2027Mon 27 Sep 2027Sun 4 Jul 2027Mon 5 – Fri 9 JulOpens later
Mon 6 Sep 2027Mon 22 Nov 2027Sun 29 Aug 2027Mon 30 Aug – Fri 3 SepOpens later
Mon 8 Nov 2027Mon 24 Jan 2028Sun 31 Oct 2027Mon 1 – Fri 5 NovOpens later
A cohort starts every two months, and every cohort opens Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 together. That is why you are not waiting six months for the next entry point, and why the placement quiz can put you straight into Level 2 if you already have the skills. The November cohort pauses for the end-of-year break from 21 December to 2 January, which is why it finishes in February; later cohorts run straight through. These dates are maintained in one file and shown live on this page.

Fees

Cloud, Data, AI and Marketing have the same tuition, because they run the same length, the same hours and the same coaching ratio. They differ only in what the certification exam costs, because the vendors set that and we pass it through without a markup.

Founding rate, cohort starting Tuesday 10 November 2026
What you payAmountWhen and what for
Month 145 000 FCFAAt the start of the level.
Month 245 000 FCFAWeek 5.
Month 345 000 FCFAWeek 9.
Tuition for the level135 000 FCFATeaching, coaching, campus, lab machines, sandbox accounts and assessment.
Enrolment fee, once only10 000 FCFAPaid once, with your application, when you first enrol: not again for later levels. Not refundable.
Certification exam, compulsory$138CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71), at the vendor’s price in US dollars, no markup. Paid in week 9, when we buy the voucher; you sit the exam in week 11.
45 000 FCFA a month is the founding rate, for the cohort starting 10 November 2026 only. Later cohorts pay the standard rate of 50 000 FCFA a month, which is 150 000 FCFA of tuition for a level. Whatever rate you enrol at is held for the whole of that level.

Paying

  • Every payment goes through Tara’s secure payment page: MTN Mobile Money, Orange Money, Wave, Visa or Mastercard, or PayPal.
  • From Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo or Gabon: Mobile Money where Tara covers your operator, or card or PayPal. From Equatorial Guinea: card or PayPal. Amounts are in FCFA.
  • Family abroad can pay by card in euros or dollars. Common, and completely fine: we send them the exact amount and a receipt in their name.
  • Bring someone with you and you both take 10 000 FCFA off.
  • Finish a level and the next one is 15 000 FCFA cheaper. Every time.
  • Pause once per level, free. Your payments hold.
  • Each tuition payment is refunded in full if you ask within 14 days of making it. The details are in the refund policy.

Why the exam is billed separately

Because we refuse to hide it inside the headline price. AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA, Meta, Databricks and the Python Institute set those prices in dollars and change them without telling us; bundling would mean either padding the fee to cover the worst case or quietly raising it when a vendor does. Instead we publish both numbers, re-quote before you buy, and charge exactly what the voucher costs.

The exam is compulsory, not optional. It is part of passing the level. If paying for it in week 9 is a problem, tell your coach at the halfway checkpoint and we will arrange the timing: we would rather move a date than have somebody finish without the credential they came for.

Vendor exam prices are the vendors’ own, were correct in October 2026, and are re-quoted before you buy. They are in US dollars; you pay the voucher in FCFA at the day’s exchange rate when we buy it.

Admission & FAQ

Which level should you start at?

Six questions, about a minute. Nobody is locked in by the answer: your coach confirms it on the phone before you pay any tuition. The quiz exists so that you are not sitting through three weeks of things you already know.

1.Which device do you use most?
2.Could you create a folder, save a document into it and find it again tomorrow?
3.How do you get on with Excel or Google Sheets?
4.Have you ever opened a computer or replaced a part?
5.Could you set up a home Wi-Fi network and explain what an IP address is?
6.What is your current work situation?

This quiz needs JavaScript. If it is not working, request information and an advisor will place you on the phone. That conversation happens anyway before you pay any tuition.

How to enrol

  1. Take the quiz above, or skip it. It is a two-minute signal, not a gate.
  2. Apply in about four minutes and pay the 10 000 FCFA application fee. One form, no documents, phone before email because here a call works. The fee is paid when you send the application, through Tara: Mobile Money, Wave, card or PayPal. It is your enrolment fee: paid once, not again for Level 2 or Level 3, and not refundable. If we admit you, it holds your seat. Not ready? Use the request form at the foot of this page instead and an advisor calls you first, with nothing to pay.
  3. We call you within two working days. Fifteen minutes on what you do all day, what you want, which level fits, and whether 22 hours a week is realistic. If this is the wrong programme we will say so.
  4. Decision in writing, then the enrolment terms in the language you choose, as a file you can keep. Nothing binds you until you accept them. After that, each tuition payment is refunded in full if you ask within 14 days of making it; the enrolment fee is not refundable. Read the certification cost before you accept.
  5. Choose your cohort. A new one starts every two months; your fee carries over to whichever you pick. The first monthly payment is due at the start of the level, not before: 45 000 FCFA in the cohort starting 10 November 2026 (founding rate), 50 000 FCFA in later cohorts.
  6. Orientation week. Accounts, tools, your sandbox, your squad, a tour of the campus. Then teaching starts. The dates for each cohort are in the Dates & fees tab.

Questions people actually ask

Can I do this while working full time?

Yes: the programme is built for people who work. Live sessions are two to three a week, recorded within the hour and downloadable, and every deadline carries forty-eight hours of grace. The honest constraint is the 22 hours, not the timetable.

Is the certification really compulsory?

Yes. Sitting it is part of passing the level, and we build the last three weeks around preparing you for it. The exam fee is billed separately at the vendor’s own price with no markup: we publish both numbers rather than hiding one inside the other. We buy the voucher in week 9 and you sit the exam in week 11. If paying for the voucher in week 9 is a problem, tell your coach at the halfway checkpoint in week 6 and we will move the timing.

What if I fail the exam?

You keep your projects, your assessment record and your Career Passport, and you keep your place in the next level. A retake means a new voucher at the vendor’s current price; the vendor does not refund a failed sitting, so neither can we. Your coach will tell you honestly whether to sit it again now or in three months.

Is the placement real, and what exactly is it?

It is real and it is modest: two months, remote, unpaid, with a partner company, for learners who complete Level 2 and meet the conditions in the enrolment terms. It is not a job, not a visa and not a promise of either. Every learner who meets those conditions is placed.

Onsite or online, which should I choose?

Both run from the same timetable with the same assignments and the same coach, and you can switch mid-level by telling your coach. Choose the campus at Melen if you want the power, the bandwidth, the lab machines or simply other people in the room.

Can I start at Level 2 or 3?

Yes, that is what the quiz is for. Every cohort opens all three levels together, so you are not waiting for a separate intake. Your coach confirms your level on the phone before you pay any tuition, and if the quiz put you too high we will move you down rather than let you drown.

Can I pause?

Once per level, free, and your payments hold. You resume at the next cohort of the same level, which is never more than two months away. The rules are in the enrolment terms.

Is this a recognised diploma? Do you offer the HND or DQP?

No, and no. We do not offer the HND, the DQP, the CQP or any other State or MINEFOP qualification, and our own certificate is not a diploma. In Cameroon diplomas are issued by the State alone, and we will not imply otherwise. What is recognised by employers worldwide is the industry certification you sit in week 11, awarded by the vendor and not by us, together with the portfolio of real work you build to get there. That is the whole aim of the programme: to make you extremely competitive in today’s hiring market, at home or abroad, and it is precisely why we made the exam compulsory instead of optional.

I am preparing to emigrate. Does this help?

Yes, in two ways. A current AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA, Meta, Databricks or the Python Institute certification is read the same way in Toronto, Houston or Lyon as it is in Yaoundé, and a portfolio of work for real clients answers the first question an employer abroad will ask: can you actually do the job? We do not give immigration advice and we do not promise visas; what we do is make sure the skills line on your file is one nobody can argue with.

Ask an advisor whether this is the right programme, and the right level.

An admissions advisor calls you within two working days. Fifteen minutes on what you do now and what you want. If you already know, apply directly.

Request information

Seven fields. An admissions advisor calls you within two working days, looks at where you are, and tells you honestly which programme, level and cohort fit, and whether campus or online suits you. No obligation, nothing to pay.

We call before anything else happens. A number reaches you; a mailing list does not.
I know what I want. Apply.

Your details are used for this request and for nothing else unless you tick a separate box later. Phone first because, where we work, a call gets answered.