Summary:

On 10 February 2025, Mauritania’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Amam Ould Bebata, met with the French Development Agency (AFD) to discuss plans to increase Mauritania’s agricultural production.

The meeting tackled the acceleration of agricultural projects to be implemented by AFD, especially the Tamurt Inaj development project designed to promote and diversify agricultural production.

The Minister also received the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Guy Harrison, in order to present Mauritania’s agriculture sector and investment opportunities for foreign firms.

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Sid Ahmed Ould Bouh, also met with President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to discuss “stimulating investment in the agricultural sector and finding innovative mechanisms to mobilize financing” of agricultural projects.

Days prior, Mauritania and Morocco signed agreements to commit to sustainable fishing through strengthening dialogue between professionals, and developing training programs for stakeholders in the sector.           

Outlook: 

Mauritania is seeking through recent agreements and meetings to mobilize international and regional partners to promote its agriculture and fishing sectors with the goal of strengthening food security.

With large, arable areas still un-exploited throughout the country, Mauritania is seeking to attract investments thorough public-private partnerships (PPP) to move closer to self-sufficiency.

The country has been importing more than 60% of its wheat, making it vulnerable to shifts in the global supply chain and pricing of cereals. Mauritania has also been importing rice but is now working on achieving self-sufficiency in rice production.

Additional financial resources coming from the new gas shipments are likely to help Mauritania invest in agriculture infrastructure and the fishery industry to secure food sovereignty. Without these structural improvements, Mauritania may face reduction in the workforce, 33% of which is in agriculture.

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