Mauritania: A Country in Transition

While in Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital city, Mr. Zoellick will meet with members of parliament, Prime Minister Zeine Ould Zeidane and with Mauritania’s newly-elected President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

Mr. Zoellick’s visit is part of a wider trip to three other African nations including Liberia and Mozambique, and Ethiopia where he will address a summit of the African Union.

The purpose of his visit to Mauritania, a mostly nomadic country of 2.9 million people, which made a successful democratic transition based on transparent elections in November 2006 and March 2007, is to help find ways the World Bank Group (WBG) – made up of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency – can provide Mauritania with a broader mix of lending instruments and advisory services.

“This visit is historical and happens after a successful Consultative Group in which the international community expressed its support to Mauritania, a new democracy,” said François Rantrua, World Bank Country Manager for Mauritania. “The government expects the World Bank to continue to play a key role in implementing Consultative Group pledging and supporting government reforms.”

Mauritania is considered a natural bridge between Sub Saharan Africa and Arab North Africa. The country has experienced political tensions over the past 20 years but is building on a peaceful transition to democracy with a country-wide discourse aimed at encouraging national reconciliation, including the return and reintegration of Mauritanian refugees from Senegal and Mali. The country also is working to pass laws to end the practice of slavery.

In recent years, Mauritania’s economic growth has been relatively good, averaging 4.8 percent between 2001 and 2004, reaching 5.4 percent in 2005 and shooting to 11.4 percent in 2006 due to the discovery of oil and the start of oil production (non-oil GDP growth was 4.4 percent).

In Nouakchott, Mr. Zoellick’s travels will take him to an urban slum and a rural community where he will visit Bank-financed projects and engage with the local community and civil society. The group will explore solutions for more inclusive and equitable growth that provides adequate access to basic services and opportunities for the poor. Despite Mauritania’s rapid economic growth, significant pockets of poverty remain in rural and urban areas.

Mr. Zoellick will also conduct a tour of the port of Nouakchott and have roundtable discussions with port operators and national and international business representatives from a variety of industries. The talks will highlight opportunities and challenges for creating a better investment climate in the country.

Mr. Zoellick will be the signing two Memorandums of Understanding. The first outlines a possible mix of WBG financing and advisory mechanisms that will better help address constraints in modernizing infrastructure and managing natural resources in Mauritania (notably in the areas of mining, port, and electricity).

The second represents a partnership agreement between the WBG and the Mauritanian government to integrate Mauritania into the Private Sector Liaison Officer (PSLO) Network. Launched in 1999, the PSLO is a joint World Bank, IFC and MIGA initiative that represents a network of some 87 business intermediary organizations and representatives in 76 countries (chambers of commerce and industry, business and trade associations, or investment promotion agencies) working to foster private sector development, trade and investment between countries.

World Bank Contacts:

In Nouakchott: Taleb Ould Sid’ahmed:
Tel: (222) 525 10 17
Fax: (222) 525 13 34
Cell: 00-222-602-2300
Email: touldsidahmed@worldbank.org

In Washington: John Donaldson
Tel.: 202-473-1367
Fax: 202-522-1272 fax
Cell: 202-468-3094 global
jdonaldson@worldbank.org