A special parliamentary inquiry commission is set to examine alleged irregularities in contracts awarded under the “One student, one laptop” programme, a flagship initiative launched in 2017 by the ministry of higher education, research and innovation. With a total budget estimated at 48 billion CFA francs, the scheme has become a lightning rod for political debate. The question now is whether this parliamentary probe is genuinely aimed at cleaning up governance or whether it masks a personal score to settle with former minister Abdourahmane Diouf.
Background of a long-running controversy
The controversy predates the current administration. On 8 November 2025, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko publicly flagged irregularities in the management of higher-education projects, specifically pointing to the tenure of Abdourahmane Diouf. The former minister responded by calling on deputies to set up a parliamentary commission to shed light on the affair, including the construction of five university campuses, while acknowledging shared responsibility with the prime minister.
The inquiry’s remit covers the entire period from 2017 to 2026, spanning nearly a decade of programme management and potentially implicating several ministers and senior officials at the ministry. No individual names are mentioned in the official text, yet the timing of the commission’s creation has sparked speculation.
A fracture within the presidential camp
Tensions between Sonko and Diouf have been simmering for months. After serving as a leading figure in the Awalé party and a loyal ally of the former coalition, Abdourahmane Diouf recently defected to Kiiraay – Les Patriotes républicains, the new party backed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. This shift marked a definitive break with Pastef and its leader Ousmane Sonko. Some political observers now suspect that the inquiry commission may be a disguised attempt at retribution rather than a genuine quest for accountability.
While the official order convening the extraordinary session does not explicitly target Abdourahmane Diouf, the timing of his departure from the presidential fold and his alignment with the new party have fuelled conjecture. Only the findings of the commission, once established and published, will reveal the full extent of responsibility for the management of the 48 billion CFA francs programme.
