On the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum 2025 held the Last week in Rabat, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced a $125 million loan to the National Society industrial and mining (SNIM) in Mauritania. Through this financing, Mauritania wants to consolidate its status as a major iron ore player in Africa.

Supported by European funding, SNIM engages logistical modernization and relies on several partnerships to increase national production that should approach 15 million tons in 2025. Aux sides of the African Bank development (BAD), which unlocks 150 million of dollars, the European financial institution intends to support the plan of growth of the main Mauritanian iron ore producer. The SNIM in fact, aims to triple national production to 45 million tons. by 2031, compared to around 15 million tonnes expected this year. The cumulative financing of $275 million, guaranteed by The European Union , will allow SNIM to build 42 kilometers of new railways, rehabilitate existing infrastructure and acquire locomotives, wagons and maintenance equipment.

Partnerships and internal growth To triple the iron ore production in less than ten years, the SNIM does not bet only on its internal capabilities. Its strategic plan adopted in April 2024 plans to increase its own production to 24 million tons by 2031, compared to 14.2 million sold last year, an already record level.

Funding, estimated at nearly 1.4 billion dollars, however, was slow to be finalized despite the interest shown by export credit agencies from Finland and Germany, as well as by the SFI and the BAD.