Mauritania

Mauritania is a desert country that lacks water. Only 58% of Mauritania’s population has access to drinking water (48% in rural areas) and 14% of the rural population to a proper sanitation network. Similarly, electricity remains a privilege for the majority of Mauritians, with an overall access rate of 30%, and major inequalities between urban areas (55%) and rural areas (5%). 

AFD is working to promote access to drinking water and sanitation via several projects cofinanced with the European Union. The ongoing projects will provide 250,000 people with access to drinking water (13% of the unconnected rural  population) and improve hygiene conditions and access to sanitation for 550,000 people (26% of the rural population).

Since 2010, we have also been supporting the restructuring of the energy sector, especially the Mauritanian Electricity Company (SOMELEC). In 2013, we financed the construction of a hybrid thermal/photovoltaic power plant in the Kiffa region, in partnership with the European Union, as well as a transmission and distribution grid to supply nearby cities and villages with electricity. This pilot project is set to be widely reproduced in the region. A second power plant of the same type is currently under construction in Nema.
In the governance sector, AFD is financing a project to support democracy and social cohesion. Its main objective is to strengthen links across the country between the justice system and the accused.

Mauritania is characterized by an uneven distribution of economic activities and populations. In areas where people have recently settled, the large number of small communities, all far from each other, makes their coverage by basic social services difficult and costly, as well as their access to economic opportunities (products, markets, jobs). Balanced and sustainable territorial development is a major challenge for the country. Furthermore, rural communities continue to be affected by serious food crises, forcing the country to import food.

Since 2006, AFD has been financing the program to Promote Initiatives for Equitable Regional Growth (VAINCRE), for the economic development of territories. Between 2006 and 2015, some 1,000 projects (health, education, water) were led by the 73 beneficiary municipalities. A new phase, called DECLIC, is starting in early 2019.

In order to structurally reinforce food security for rural communities, we also support projects that improve productivity in village irrigated areas (VIA) of the Senegal River, while promoting job creation, especially for women by developing market gardening by women.

The Education Sector Development Plan (PNDSE) has provided all children with access to primary school. But the teaching staff lacks qualifications to ensure high-quality education, particularly in terms of languages. Between 2012 and 2021, AFD will have committed EUR 12.7m to improve the quality of education and bilingualism (Arabic-French) of teachers, as well as access to secondary education for girls. 

To facilitate access to the labor market, AFD has also decided to assist 7 vocational training centers in purchasing equipment, refurbishing their premises and establishing training courses in sectors where there is strong labor demand (fishing and water-based activities). 
Proparco, AFD’s private sector financing arm, is actively involved with Mauritanian banks: it is a shareholder of Attijari Bank and has allocated a EUR 2m credit line to the People’s Bank of Mauritania. AFD also allocates portfolio guarantees (ARIZ) to the national subsidiary of Société Générale and to Attijari Bank and provides a facility for access to financing for small businesses.

Mauritania is a country with contrasting natural resources. It is made up of a huge desert space, with most of its activity concentrated on a narrow coastal strip, which also holds unique biological wealth.

AFD, in partnership with the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), supports projects to protect the country’s marine and coastal biodiversity. 

We promote lasting and sustainable development by encouraging reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, while supporting the exploitation of the country’s mining natural resources in partnership with the National Industrial and Mining Company of Mauritania (SNIM).

The country has experienced a decline in its maternal mortality rate in recent years, but it remains high at around 500 for 100,000 births. There are many reasons for this, which include the fact that the population is scattered over a massive territory and that there is a low level of medical staff. 

Since 2008, we have been supporting the extension of the obstetrical package, a voluntary insurance system which covers maternal healthcare costs in public health facilities.