In an exclusive interview with  Financial Afrik, Ousmane Mamoudou KANE, Mauritanian Minister of Economic Affairs, discusses Mauritania's post-pandemic recovery strategy and the Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity Strategy as well as planned investments, commensurate with the ambitions displayed by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.

The adverse effects of the pandemic on the Mauritanian economy caused a 2.2% decline in growth in 2020. Thus, an Expanded Priority Programme, amounting to about 10% of GDP, to be implemented over a period of 30 months, has been drawn up and adopted by the Government. It aims essentially to provide support to those most affected by the effects of the pandemic, to create jobs and to boost growth through the mobilization of the national private sector. According to Minister Ousmane Mamoudou KANE, the development of SMEs and the use of Public Private Partnerships will be at the heart of this new approach to economic development.

" After the creation of the Mauritania Investment Promotion Agency (APIM), we are aware that the economic area needs to quickly have investment funds, guarantee funds and a mechanism for making long resources available. We hope to fill these gaps in the coming months. As for PPPs, a new legislative framework has been in place since February 2021. It allows greater fluidity in the processing of files relating to such projects ," he said. For the medium and long term, he recalled that Mauritania has adopted a Long-Term Development Strategy (SCAPP – Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity). It is implemented through the execution of five-year action plans. The one that is being developed will draw lessons from the pandemic and highlight the priorities retained by the President of the Republic (sustainable and inclusive growth, Human Capital and Solidarity with the least privileged).