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In an audience with the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz held yesterday in Nouakchott, ECA’s Executive Secretary Vera Songwe congratulated Mauritania for having ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), as a major project for the region’s economic development.
Mauritania is one of the first countries to sign the AfCFTA documents, this shows that its President and government are convinced of the importance of regional integration, said Songwe.
Discussions with President Ould Abdel Aziz included strategic choices for ECA’s work in Mauritania and its cooperation with the country as part of its role in support to Africa’s development.
During her visit, ECA’s Executive Secretary met several ministers including the Prime Minister Mohamed Salem Ould El Bechir, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismaël Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Minister of Economy and Finance Moctar Ould Diay and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Khadijetou Mbareck Fall.
Topics discussed included the use of innovative financing investment mechanisms to strengthen key sectors such as energy or mines; the use of ICTs to streamline administrative processes to improve the national Doing Business ranking, and improved public finances and debt analysis to consolidate the country’s macro-economic and fiscal policies.
Other topics included employment, economic diversification, the building of a national, digital ID system for a better social inclusion and distribution of growth benefits in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the African Women Leadership Fund initiated by ECA in 2018 in favor of Mauritanian women.
These cooperation opportunities come in addition to ongoing ECA projects in Mauritania, which include the rebasing of the GDP in accordance with SCN 2008, support for the drafting of the first National Voluntary Review, and an upcoming competitiveness study to be carried out as part of ECA’s support for the implementation of the AfCFTA.
Songwe also met the UN country team and discussed options for an improved coordination of UN projects in Mauritania.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
