Initially designed to accelerate the development of basic infrastructures in rural areas, the Programme d’Urgence de Développement Communautaire (PUDC) is today at the heart of lively controversy. Delays in the execution of projects, incomplete works, company failures and accusations of mismanagement have fuelled the debate, raising questions about the effectiveness and transparency of the programme. Launched under the aegis of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the PUDC aimed to facilitate access to roads, drinking water and electricity in disadvantaged areas. Nevertheless, several planned infrastructures have never seen the light of day, leaving the population still waiting for promises of improvements. Local enterprises, engaged in the realization of projects, find themselves today in critical financial situations. This is the case of Papa Ng. Dièye, founder of GCI Construction, who testifies: “We have invested in these projects with the hope of a positive impact on development. Today, we find ourselves with colossal debts and abandoned projects. I’m not sure.
PUDC: An ambitious project undermined by dysfunctions
