Senegal's IGF audit of Securiport and the airport security fee

What the audit found

Decree 2011-652 of 26 May 2011 created a security fee to pay for an integrated computer and biometric system covering departures and arrivals at Senegal's airports ¹. Cheikh Yérim Seck reported in Dakaractu on 16 September 2011 that the fee was USD 12 per passenger, that article 3 of the decree put it in the ticket price, and that airlines would pass it to Securiport LLC from 4 July 2011 ². Quotes from French sources on this page are translated.

Libération reported, as cited by Seneweb and Dakaractu on 24 December 2012, that IGF inspectors began work at the Agence des aéroports du Sénégal on the instruction of Finance Minister Amadou Kane, to look into sums paid to Securiport under the fee ^3,4.

The IGF report has not been published. On 7 August 2015 OSIRIS reproduced a Libération account of the IGF's financial and accounting audit of Securiport. As reported, the inspectors found customs and tax fraud put at 143 billion FCFA. They found the contract was awarded by direct agreement with no justification for that route and without the required opinions of the Finance Ministry and the Infrastructure Council, that this shut out other bids including a Canadian one, and that the contract was never published in the official journal. The IGF recommended legal proceedings against those who concluded the contract, named by Libération as former Interior Minister Ousmane Ngom and Securiport chief executive Enrique Ségura, who signed it on 11 January 2011 ⁶.

Dakarposte, citing Libération on 29 March 2016, quoted an IGE report saying the 'Securiport project' 'revealed practices not in line with the law on procurement, sound management and allocation of public resources' (translated). The IGE said the agreement earned the company 'nearly nine billion CFA francs' in fees in 19 months of operation (translated) ⁸.

The official response

Libération reported, as cited by Setal on 25 April 2013, that President Macky Sall ordered collection of the fee moved to the Treasury, and that the contract obliged Senegal to pay Securiport 170 billion FCFA if it ended the deal ⁵. The same 170 billion FCFA figure appeared in the December 2012 reports ^3,4. No official document confirming the termination clause was found.

Dakarposte reported in March 2016 that Securiport signed a protocol with the Finance Ministry after the IGF work ⁸. Libération, as cited by Seneweb on 24 October 2025, said a memorandum between Securiport and the Finance Ministry signed under the previous government 'has never been made public' (translated) ¹⁰.

No public statement by Securiport answering the IGF findings was found as of 19 October 2026. The Restic, a group of Senegalese technology firms, said in August 2015 that it was 'not surprised' by the IGF conclusions (translated) and that it had filed complaints with the personal data commission in December 2012 ⁷.

Parliament

No public record found of a National Assembly hearing, inquiry or report on the IGF findings on Securiport as of 19 October 2026.

Follow-up audits and recommendations

The IGF findings are known only through press accounts of an unpublished report ^6,8. No published IGF or IGE follow-up report was found. Dakarposte asked in March 2016 whether the IGE and IGF files on Ousmane Ngom would ever be acted on ⁸. No public record found of how the IGF recommendations were carried out as of 19 October 2026.

Courts, tribunals and investigations

Setal reported on 25 April 2013, citing Libération, that Ousmane Ngom was due to be heard by the IGE on the Securiport matter, as the signatory for Senegal ⁵. No public record found of a prosecution, a court ruling, a settlement or the exact sums claimed from Securiport after the IGF's 2015 recommendation, as of 19 October 2026.

Dakaractu reported on 14 July 2024 that the company's contract was nearing its end ⁹.

Where it stands now

Libération reported, as cited by Seneweb on 24 October 2025, that the contract expires on 11 January 2026, that Securiport was seeking an extension the new authorities seemed reluctant to grant, and that Huawei and ISC were competing for the national border security and biometric identification project. It said the 2011 contract was renewed under Macky Sall ¹⁰. No public record found of the decision on renewal or replacement after 11 January 2026 as of 19 October 2026.

Conflicting figures, side by side. Fee: USD 12 per passenger in September 2011 ², against USD 16 received by Securiport per departing passenger in the December 2012 reports ^3,4. Money collected: about 10 billion FCFA a year projected for Dakar alone in 2011 ², 10 billion FCFA in total in April 2013 ⁵, and nearly 9 billion FCFA in 19 months in the IGE report ⁸. Bank accounts: Paris and Switzerland in December 2012 ^3,4, against the United States and Switzerland in April 2013 ⁵. The 143 billion FCFA figure is a tax and customs finding, not money collected ⁶.

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