A parliamentary investigation is underway to uncover alleged financial irregularities totaling over 2 billion FCFA in the ‘One Student, One Computer’ initiative.
Probing systemic irregularities in public procurement
The Pastef parliamentary group under the leadership of Ousmane Sonko, President of the National Assembly, has initiated a parliamentary inquiry into the alleged mismanagement of the ‘One Student, One Computer’ program. The investigation focuses on procurement irregularities that may have cost the state billions since the program’s launch in 2017.
According to parliamentary sources, the program’s execution has repeatedly violated national public procurement laws, including:
- Failure to conduct competitive bidding for contracts exceeding 50 million FCFA
- Absence of prior review by the Direction centrale des marchés publics (DCMP)
- Non-inclusion in the ministry’s procurement plan
- Lack of ministerial approval for contracts exceeding 300 million FCFA
These violations reportedly occurred across multiple editions of the program, with total expenditures approaching 48 billion FCFA over the years.
Unaccounted funds and unexplained transactions
Investigators have uncovered several red flags:
- A 2 billion FCFA guarantee fund deposited with Ecobank without clear documentation of its origin or purpose
- Thirteen bank accounts linked to the program, despite official records showing only three
- An unaccounted balance of 864,857,800 FCFA distributed across these accounts
- 800 unsold computers stored at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop with documented malfunctions
Serious allegations against former officials
The investigation targets current and former officials from key institutions:
- Ministry of Higher Education leadership and staff
- Ministry of Finance and Budget officials
- Direction générale de l’Enseignement supérieur
- Direction du financement des établissements d’enseignement supérieur (DFEES)
- Direction centrale des marchés publics (DCMP)
- Autorité de régulation de la commande publique (ARCOP)
The inquiry particularly examines a 2023 transaction where 1.446 billion FCFA was transferred to a non-contracted intermediary for computer purchases, despite no valid contract being found for that fiscal year.
Legal and financial consequences
Parliamentarians allege that these irregularities have led to:
- State payments being double-counted, totaling 1.25 billion FCFA in one instance
- Allegations of embezzlement exceeding 1 billion FCFA
- Potential economic and social repercussions for Senegal’s higher education sector
Sonko and the Pastef group maintain that these irregularities warrant a thorough parliamentary investigation to restore accountability and transparency in public spending.