Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University of Touba: the winning bet of Mame Diarra Dieng, major in Nursing and Obstetrics
On April 23, 2026, in the amphitheater of Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University (Ucak) in Touba, the applause did not only celebrate the release of the first promotion from the establishment. They also saluted the exceptional career of Mame Diarra Dieng. At the age of 22, this young graduate graduated as a major in the Nursing and Midwifery Sciences sector of the Department of Health Sciences and Professions (Sms). A distinction which for her is only a step towards a more ambitious goal: obtaining a doctorate.
TOUBA – Three years ago, Mame Diarra Dieng left Dakar to join a university that had only just opened its doors. A bold bet. Today, this choice proves him right. At the age of 22, the young native of Darou Khoudoss became valedictorian of the first promotion in Nursing and Midwifery at Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University (Ucak). And she already sees further: the doctorate.
Originally from Touba, Mame Diarra Dieng embodies a youth determined to succeed through work and perseverance. His school career began in a daara, as is the case for many children in the religious city. She then continued her education at the private school Serigne Cheikh Mbacké Gaïndé Fatma, where she acquired the basics of her training.
After obtaining her baccalaureate in 2023 from Mbacké high school, she naturally turned to higher education. Her first choice was the École supérieure polytechnique (Esp) in Dakar, where she was admitted to the biomedical engineering department, an orientation which seemed to correspond to her aspirations.
But fate decides otherwise. A few weeks after its installation in Dakar, the opening of Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University offers new perspectives to students in the region. On the advice of her father, she decides to return to Touba to join this new university. “As soon as Ucak opened, I returned to Touba on the recommendation of my father,” she confides.
A decision that will prove decisive. Reoriented towards the Department of Health Sciences and Professions, she joined the Nursing and Midwifery Sciences sector. Like all the students in this first cohort, she is embarking on an unprecedented academic adventure, combining enthusiasm and uncertainty.
Being among the first students at a university establishment is, in fact, a particular challenge. The lack of perspective on the quality of training, questions about the recognition of diplomas or even the uncertainties linked to the functioning of the new institution raised concerns. “As the first class, we had doubts about the success of our training,” she remembers.
Over the years, however, these apprehensions give way to confidence. Between theoretical lessons, tutorials, practical sessions and the numerous internships carried out in health structures, students gradually develop the skills essential to the exercise of their future profession.
For Mame Diarra Dieng, this experience proved particularly enriching. Internships carried out in hospitals in Touba as well as in several rural health structures allowed her to discover the realities on the ground and the requirements of the nursing profession. She also understood the importance of human relationships in patient care.
The young graduate also highlights the specificity of Ucak. According to her, the university is not limited to the transmission of scientific and technical knowledge. It also places an important place on the religious and moral training of its students.
In his eyes, this connection between academic teaching and Islamic values constitutes one of the main strengths of the establishment. She believes that it promotes the training of health professionals aware of their ethical responsibilities and concerned with preserving the dignity of patients. “Islamic teachings have allowed us to acquire important values in our relationships with patients,” she explains.
It also highlights the quality of the educational support as well as the infrastructure made available to students.
If her university career began with biomedical engineering, Mame Diarra Dieng today claims to have found her true vocation in nursing and obstetrics. “I feel fully fulfilled in this profession, even if it was not my first choice,” she admits.
For her, nursing goes far beyond a simple job. It represents a commitment to serving the population. “Providing care to a patient means a lot to me,” she says.
Beyond care, she also wants to help improve relationships between health professionals and users. With her classmates, she believes that the quality of reception, listening and support must become a priority in health structures.
The training received at Ucak, particularly in ethics and professional conduct, provides them, according to her, with the necessary tools to meet this challenge. “As Ucak graduates, we must set a good example in our workplaces,” she says to her fellow students.
Today holding a degree in Nursing and Midwifery, Mame Diarra Dieng does not consider this diploma as a goal. On the contrary, she sees it as a step towards more ambitious goals.
Keen to deepen her knowledge and further contribute to the development of the health sector, she has the ambition to continue her studies up to a doctorate. In particular, she hopes that Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University will soon open a master’s cycle in her specialty, which would allow her to continue her studies in the establishment that supported her academic rise.
While waiting for this new stage, the valedictorian is staying at Darou Khoudoss. She remains open to professional opportunities and hopes to land a new internship that could facilitate her integration into the job market.
Throughout her career, Mame Diarra Dieng appears as one of the most promising faces of the first generation of Ucak graduates. Its story illustrates the ambitions of a youth focused on excellence and the hopes placed in this young university, called to contribute to the training of the human resources that Senegal needs, particularly in the strategic health sector.
