Cheikh Oumar Diagne, Minister Advisor and Director of General Resources at the Presidency of the Republic, defended his thesis on Thursday October 10, 2024. The subject focused on: “Perspectives of sovereign currencies in the face of geopolitical dynamics of integration and private monetary systems : the case of the West African franc zone”. The jury, chaired by Professor Babacar Guèye, associate professor of law at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), praised his work.
Until then, everything seemed to be going normally, with congratulations in store. However, this defense took place at the Center for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies (Ceds), a private establishment. However, a press release published on September 5 by Amadou Abdoul Sow, then director general of higher education, recalled that doctorates can only be awarded by approved doctoral schools. To date, no private establishment has the authorization to organize doctoral programs or to issue diplomas at this level.
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It is therefore surprising that Cheikh Oumar Diagne, as a senior official, as well as the Ceds, ignored this official directive. The question then arises: why did they proceed with this defense despite Minister Abdourahmane Diouf’s reminder of the legislation in force? The jury notably included the economist Mounirou Ndiaye, who expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome that Cheikh Oumar Diagne had given him when he took office as Head of the Office for Monitoring and Evaluation of Policies and Programs at the presidency.
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This is not the first time that such a situation has occurred. On August 13, 2020, Aïda Mbodji also defended her thesis at Ceds. A few days later, on August 19, the Ministry of Higher Education published a press release reminding that private establishments are not authorized to organize doctorates. This link between Mbodji’s defense and the ministry’s reaction seems difficult to ignore.
Before her, Haruna Musa, counselor at the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, had also defended her thesis in this establishment. A common point between these three doctoral students is their status as public figures. Additionally, on the cover of the thesis, the Ceds includes current or past positions, where university traditions generally only mention the student’s name. For example, for Cheikh Oumar Diagne, his title of “Director of general resources at the Presidency of the Republic” is mentioned, as is that of Aïda Mbodji, “deputy in the National Assembly, former minister of state”. This suggests a desire for marketing, moving away from traditional academic uses.
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