“One Student, One Computer” Programme: Former Minister Daouda Ngom’s Startling Revelations

Former Higher Education Minister Daouda Ngom told a parliamentary inquiry on Friday that he learned of problems with the “One Student, One Computer” programme three days after taking office on September 15. The programme was not explicitly listed in the handover report, but appeared in a budget table allocating 6 billion CFA francs, of which 3 billion had reportedly been spent. According to Ngom, officials reported coordination failures, breaches of the procedures manual and the circumvention of 2014 decrees. He said contracts for the 2025 edition were awarded without following public procurement procedures.