The African Development Bank Group is stepping up its support to Mauritania's private sector.
Speaking during a workshop co-organized with the Investment Promotion Agency of Mauritania (APIM) on Wednesday 26 March, Malinne Blomberg, Deputy Director General for North Africa at the African Development Bank Group said: "In Mauritania, we want to channel more resources toward private sector-led investment, strengthen our cooperation with local and regional banks, and support projects that generate value added and jobs.
She added: "Our ambition is clear: to make the private sector a stronger driver of economic transformation and regional integration."
Ms. Blomberg welcomed recent reforms in Mauritania, including the new investment code, the strengthening of the mining regulatory framework, and the consolidation of public-private partnerships. She stressed the central role of the private sector in the structural transformation of Mauritania's economy, particularly in addressing the challenges of employment, economic diversification, and access to finance.
The African Development Bank Group's strategy for private sector development across the continent is built around three pillars: improving the business environment, developing quality infrastructure, and strengthening enterprise capabilities. In practical terms, the Bank Group is already supporting APIM through technical assistance. It is also supporting public-private partnerships and financing transformative projects such as the Rosso Bridge and the Mauritania-Mali Power Interconnection Project, while carrying out several operations in support of the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM) and commercial banks.
"The real challenge is not the lack of opportunities, but the ability to turn that potential into bankable and implementable projects. The African Development Bank's presence alongside us today carries special significance," said Mauritania's Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, Abdallah Souleymane Cheikh-Sidia, who is also Governor for the Bank Group for Mauritania.
Tah Ahmed Meouloud, Director General of the Investment Promotion Agency of Mauritania, said the workshop would help Mauritanian private sector actors better understand how to access the Bank Group's financing instruments. He recalled that, beyond its role as a development finance institution, Africa's leading development finance institution also plays a structuring role, acts as a catalyst for credibility, and helps reduce risk.
The workshop also served as a forum to consult Mauritania's private sector in preparation for its North Africa Regional Integration Strategy. The discussions helped identify private sector priorities in order to better position Mauritanian businesses in regional and continental markets, at a time when economic integration is a key lever for competitiveness and industrialization.
The Bank also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Mauritanian authorities in sustainably improving the business climate and strengthening the skills needed to boost the productivity of national enterprises.
