Summary:

On 27 March 2025, the World Bank Group approved the Development of Energy Resources and Mineral Sector support Program (DREAM) to support green hydrogen development and energy storage in Mauritania.

The $82.5 million program will finance Mauritania’s first large-scale battery-based electricity storage facility to exploit Mauritania’s solar and wind energy resources and ensure a more reliable electricity supply.

A day prior to the approval, Mauritania secured a $69 million French funding deal to boost national electricity grids with a high-voltage power line project between Nouakchott and Néma in the southeast and a power station in Kiffa in the country’s south.

These deals come as the European Union provided $21.5 million to purchase Mauritania’s armed forces with military equipment for operations including borders surveillance within the “Territorial Control, Border Stability, and Migration Management Program.”

Outlook: 

The deals signed this week highlight Mauritania’s importance in the eyes of European leaders, particularly as it relates to security and energy. Mauritania’s position at a key transit hub for both migrants and trade is likely to attract more funding to curb migration flows and develop green hydrogen projects to expand infrastructure for export.

These new funding programs are likely to help Mauritania establish better electricity coverage in the country and greater connectivity to regional trade and economic infrastructure. More job creation and revenues increase are likely to result from these projects as well.

However, Mauritania’s expanding operations to address irregular migration in exchange for European development projects is likely to raise criticism from NGOs and activists as it has in other countries in the Mediterranean region.

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