MESRI Blacklist: Cheikh Oumar Diagne's Doctorate at the Heart of the Scandal

The Ministry of Higher Education published a blacklist of 34 unrecognized private institutions, including the Dakar-based Centre d’Études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques (CEDS), which issue irregular degrees, including doctorates. Cheikh Oumar Diagne, a former presidential advisor and director of general services, defended his thesis in geoeconomics in 2024 at CEDS while still holding a government position, before being dismissed at the end of 2024. The controversy concerns the legitimacy of his degrees and the recognition of private institutions offering doctorates, which lack approved doctoral schools. Other public officials, such as Aïda Mbodj and Haruna Musa, also defended their theses at this institution.