Summary:

On 21 May 2025, Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Sid Ahmed Ould Aboh and the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Mohamed Al-Jasser, signed a 36 million euro financing agreement for vocational training and youth employment in Mauritania. The signing took place on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank Group’s annual meetings in Algiers.  

The agreement is part of Mauritania’s National Vocational Training Strategy 2023-2030 which aims to fill the gap in the skilled workforce needed by the Mauritanian labor market. 

The project will include the construction of a multi-technological hub for handicrafts and skill development in the Dar Naim district, north of Nouakchott. The hub will include capacity for 1,360 trainees in 34 technical specialties and the construction of the Vocational Training Center for construction, public works, and urban crafts in the El-Mina district. 

The new centers will contain advanced technologies and facilities like laboratories, workshops, and media spaces with digital tools such as e-learning platforms, educational software, and scientific resources, designed to create a modern learning environment.  

The project will be implemented under the Islamic Bank’s Technical Cooperation and Transfer of Expertise Program through cooperation with the Office of Vocational Training and Labour Promotion (OFPPT), in Rabat, Morocco. 

Outlook: 

Mauritania is seeking to strengthen its regional partnerships across various sectors through ongoing investments in infrastructure and workforce training.  

The signed agreement with the Islamic Development Bank Group to enhance the vocational training and youth employment in Mauritania, reflects Nouakchott’s rising position in attracting investments and partnerships that could reinforce its overall economic landscape, and its infrastructure.  

The agreement could also help Mauritania to strengthen its labor market needs, especially local firms, by providing well-trained and skilled workforce that can support for complex and large-scale foreign investment. 

The agreement may also underscore Mauritania’s multi-dimensional strategy which is indicated by several meetings between Mauritania’s officials and international partners in recent months. 

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