Nouakchott, Mauritania, 21 October 2023 – On the first day of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) President, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, held a string of back-to-back meetings in Nouakchott, with the country’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, H.E. Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh; Minister of Finance and IsDB Governor, H.E. Isselmou Ould Mohamed M’Bady; and Governor of the Central Bank and IsDB Alternate Governor, H.E. Mohamed Lemine Ould Dhehby.

At the start of his visit to the capital city of Nouakchott, the IsDB President had a meeting with Minister Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh where the two reviewed the challenges that Mauritania is facing in the infrastructure sector. The meeting also touched upon the possibility of establishing cooperation in the field of energy production especially renewable energy.

Dr. Al Jasser, in the meeting, underlined IsDB’s readiness to provide support to Mauritania in building capacity and diversify its economic base to ensure continued development, while noting the vast areas of cooperation and the possibility of agreeing on a package of feasible national priority projects.

Later in the day, President Al Jasser met and conferred with Mauritania’s Minister of Finance and IsDB Governor, H.E. Isselmou Ould Mohamed M’Bady. At the meeting, The IsDB President praised the Mauritanian Government for its socio-economic development endeavors and reiterated the Bank’s firm commitment to continue supporting the country and its private sector in materializing their development priorities. The Minister, for his part, praised IsDB for its continued support for Mauritania’s development drive particularly in the fields of energy, educations, health, agriculture, and infrastructure.

The two sides then put their signatures to an agreement for a project to establish regional institutes for higher education. The document was signed in the presence of Mauritania’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, H.E. Mr. Niang Mamadou. Upon signing the agreement, IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser elaborated that the document aims to support the efforts of the Mauritanian Government in providing better access to quality higher education; decentralizing higher education institutions; and enhancing higher education capacity especially in agriculture and veterinary medicine.

The day also saw an important meeting between IsDB President, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, and Governor of Mauritania’s Central Bank and alternate IsDB Governor where the two sides exchanged views on the country’s monetary status; utilizing IsDB’s Reverse Linkage mechanism for the exchange of knowledge and expertise for the benefit of Mauritania; and supporting the country’s plans for economic and human development.

The IsDB President, then met with Director General of the National Company for Industry and Mines (SNIM), Mr. Mohamed Vall Mohamed Telmidy, where the two sides reviewed the status of the historic partnership between the Bank and SNIM. Prospects for future cooperation were discussed at the meeting while President Al Jasser affirmed the Bank’s readiness to contribute to SNIM’s efforts aimed at maximizing production and added value through project support and capacity building.