Nouakchott, 3 February 2026 (ECA) – The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Claver Gatete, met with H.E. President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania on 2 February 2026 in Nouakchott to discuss national development priorities and strengthen strategic cooperation.
“Our discussions identified several priority areas for strengthened cooperation between ECA and the Government of Mauritania, notably youth job creation and support for the establishment of a national credit rating,” Mr. Gatete told the media following the meeting.
He noted that while Mauritania has made strong progress supported by concessional financing, strengthening access to international capital markets, through instruments such as Eurobonds, will be important to sustain long-term development as concessional resources gradually decline.
The meeting formed part of a four-day ECA work visit aimed at assessing national priorities and identifying areas for strengthened cooperation.
Discussions during the presidential audience and meetings with senior officials focused on ECA’s support for the design and implementation of Mauritania’s Vision 2050, deeper macroeconomic reforms, and strengthened inter-ministerial coordination.
Additional areas of cooperation include increasing the contribution of the Mauritanian diaspora to development, accelerating the National Digital Transformation Agenda, and expanding employment opportunities for young people.
The two sides also agreed to pursue cooperation on tax reform, domestic resource mobilization, and capacity-building for women- and youth-led SMEs, with a view to maximizing opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“Significant work lies ahead, and we look forward to further strengthening the partnership between ECA and Mauritania,” Mr. Gatete said.
In addition to President Ould Ghazouani, the ECA delegation met with the Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, Mr. Abdallahi O. Souleymane O. Cheikh-Sidia; and the Minister of Trade and Tourism, Ms. Zeinebou Mint Ahmednah.
The delegation also held meetings with the Minister of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Administrative Modernization, Mr. Ahmed Salem Bede; the Deputy Governors of the Central Bank of Mauritania, Ms. Aminata Kane and Mr. Mohamed Salem Hemedy; the Director General of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott, Mr. Lemrabott Ould Benahi; and the Director General of the Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures, Dr. Mohamed Lemine Raghani.
The visit concludes a series of country missions, which also included Morocco and Algeria, undertaken as part of preparations for the 2026 Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (COM2026) scheduled to take place in Tangiers, Morocco from 28 March to 3 April 2026 under the theme: “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of Africa”.
Note to Editors:
The UN Economic Commission for Africa was established by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions. Its mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development.
Based in Morocco since 1963, the ECA Office for North Africa strives to enhance the environment for accelerated and inclusive growth and sustainable development through support to economic diversification, fiscal management, regional integration and a better recognition of migrant workers’ economic contributions. The office also focuses a significant share of its work on issues faced by middle-income countries.
For more information about this visit, please send an email to filali-ansary@un.org; or a WhatsApp message to (+212) 673 734 462).
For more information about COM2026, please visit: https://www.uneca.org/eca-events/cfm2026.
Registration: Participants are requested to register online on the Indico UN web page for the Conference: https://indico.un.org/event/1021509/
Issued by:
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Economic Commission for Africa
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