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Mauritania's 61st anniversary highlights stability and promising economy
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a country located in the northwest of the African continent and on whose land was founded the Almoravid state in the 11th century AD, has been known throughout modern history under several names, including “Bilad Chinguetti” and “Moor”.
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(Left to right) Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani, President of the Republic of Mauritania; Flag of the Republic of Mauritania . (Courtesy of Embassy of Mauritania)
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he Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a country located in the northwest of the African continent and on whose land was founded the Almoravid state in the 11th century AD, has been known throughout modern history under several names, including “Bilad Chinguetti” and “Moor”. Perhaps from the latter name is derived its current name “Mauritania” adopted by the modern state, which officially gained its independence on Nov. 28, 1960.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in its sociocultural and human composition, is considered one of the exemplary cases in our world today of peaceful coexistence between diverse cultures and ethnicities who are reconciled and tolerant of each other, and aware of the requirement for political unity and coexistence among people of the same nation. This approach is also taken by the state as well as the political and social elites. His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani, since he assumed the reins of power following fair and transparent presidential elections, has exercised his presidential powers in an atmosphere of harmony and general tranquility. He opened the doors of his office to political and social actors in order to achieve a national consensus on the core issues, and to devote the approach of national consensus. A short time ago, preliminary meetings began for comprehensive consultations that will address all national issues without exception.
The state adopts a pluralistic democratic system, in which the president of the Republic and the people’s representatives in the National Assembly, municipal and regional councils are elected by direct universal suffrage. Women occupy a special position in all decision-making positions, as the law guarantees them a mandatory percentage of nominations, as well as a special list for women. Mauritanian women are strongly present alongside men in all departments without discrimination.
Mauritania, like other countries of the world, is affected by the events and developments around it. The phenomena of terrorism, extremism and cross-border crime are some of the most important challenges that our world faces today, and the country has taken early measures to confront these phenomena alien to our society and our values. These measures include discussing with young people to convince them to abandon terrorism and integrating them into an active life. Thanks to this strategy, Mauritania is now enjoying security and stability.
Mauritania is unique in a distinguished geostrategic location, as it constitutes a meeting point and a transit bridge between Africa, north and south of the Sahara, and a station on the maritime lines between the Middle East and West Africa. The Mauritanian government was convinced of the country’s ability to create a comprehensive economic renaissance that takes into account the ingredients available from a strategic location and the abundance and diversity of natural resources, so the responsible authorities began to work with my expanded priority program, as a strategic vision for development that takes into account the challenges related to diversifying the economy, valuing resources, sustainable management of wealth and promoting growth creating more job opportunities. It also places a special emphasis on the private sector, which is seen as an engine of development and an effective factor in creating wealth and providing job centers. The investment law was reviewed and amendments were made to the law establishing the free zone in the economic capital Nouadhibou with the aim of stimulating investment opportunities, and the commercial law was also reviewed in order to provide more guarantees for private investors.
Acting on these reviews, Mauritania is looking forward to attracting more foreign direct investment in sectors with high added value, such as: Energy, which is expected to witness a big leap in the near future in light of the discovery of huge reserves of gas and work on developing and exploiting the “Panda” natural gas field in Horizon 2023 and move toward producing green hydrogen as an alternative and sustainable source of clean energy; Minerals include the mineral wealth of Mauritanian lands (iron, gold, copper, phosphates, gypsum, sand, salt, quartz, diamonds, chromium, manganese, lead, platinum group elements, rare earth, black soil); Marine fishing – Mauritanian shores are among the richest in the world with an estimated 1.8 million tons able to be caught annually without disturbing the biological balance of the stock; Agriculture – the arable land in Mauritania is estimated at more than 500,000 hectares, of which 140,000 is irrigable on the Mauritanian side of the Senegal River; Livestock – Livestock in the country is estimated at more than 29.5 million heads; and Tourism – the country possesses enormous tourism potential that provides promising investment opportunities, such as the archaeological cities classified as world heritage sites by UNESCO (Chinguetti, Ouadne, Chet and Latta), which witness annual festivals that have become a pilgrimage for a large number of tourists, and palm oases in the state of Adrar, and in addition to the clean Atlantic coast, its pleasant climate, scenic views and nature reserves (Cape White, Argin Basin and Dioling), the Arguin Basin includes an archipelago of islands on the Atlantic coast.
In order to strengthen the existing brotherly ties between Mauritania and Indonesia and within the framework of a forward-looking vision, Mauritania took the initiative in 2019 to open an embassy in Jakarta to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations between two brotherly countries that share common characteristics and values, and are active members in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement, in addition to many other international organizations.
