Nouakchott, 9 October 2023 (ECA) –The ECA Office for North Africa will hold on 16-20 October in Nouakchott (Mauritania), in partnership with the Mauritanian Ministry of Trade, Industry, Handicraft and Tourism, the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), a training workshop on exports within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the benefit of the Mauritanian private sector.
The workshop aims to bolster the effective implementation of the AfCFTA in Mauritania by enhancing the national private sector and especially SMEs’ understanding of the practicalities of exports under the agreement.
Participants will include private sector representatives: members of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture; officials from the Ministries of Commerce, Industry, Handicrafts, and Tourism; Finance; Fisheries and Maritime Economy;Agriculture; Equipment and Transport, as well as from the Central Bank, customs, and civil society representatives.
Mauritania’s export profile is currently dominated by primary products especially from extractive sectors such as iron, gold, copper, fish or crude hydrocarbons. Most of the country’s exports are directed outside the continent, while only 8.3% target African countries such as Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Mali or Tunisia (ONS, 2018).
Mauritania’s potential shows significant opportunities to expand national trade with the rest of Africa and make the most of its strategic position as a transit hub for intra-regional goods transport. To achieve this potential, Mauritania needs to identify support measures that mitigate the agreement’s negative effects while enhancing its economic competitiveness.
EVENT: Training workshop on practical export practices within the framework of the AfCFTA
DATE : 16 – 20 October 2023 starting at 10:00 am
WORK LANGUAGE: French
For more information, please send an email to filali-ansary@un.org or yacine.cisse@un.org