Washington, DC (January 7, 2025)—Today, a $27 million threshold grant agreement designed to modernize the electricity sector and bolster resilience was signed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alice Albright and Mauritania Minister of Economy and Finance Sid’ Ahmed Ould Bouh.
“From enhancing Mauritania’s security, to supporting democratic development, to increasing energy and economic prosperity, the United States has remained steadfast in its support of Mauritania,” said MCC CEO Alice Albright. “By investing and pursuing reforms in two critical areas – energy and environmental resilience – the MCC threshold program is poised to improve the lives of all Mauritanians and create a strong and lasting foundation on which the Government of Mauritania can build.”
The threshold grant program consists of two projects that seek to address development needs and reduce poverty by generating inclusive economic growth in the country.
The Energy Project will support the Government of Mauritania’s development goals of achieving universal access to electricity by 2030. The aim is to improve the capacity of energy sector actors so they can develop inclusive plans for new energy generation and transmission, efficiently and effectively operate the electricity grid, and strengthen regulation.
The Resilience Project aims to advance the Government of Mauritania’s capacity to plan, coordinate, fund, and implement environmental resilience. By fostering long-term sustainability through practical capacity building and institutional strengthening, the project aims to promote resilience and align investments with development and social goals.
MCC’s Board of Directors first selected Mauritania as eligible for threshold program assistance in 2022, noting its positive trajectory of reform on the MCC scorecard, including the Government’s efforts to strengthen civil liberties and advance the fight against hereditary slavery and trafficking in persons. MCC welcomes the Government’s commitment to further strengthening democracy and human rights. MCC’s threshold programs are grants focused on policy and institutional reform in selected countries that come close to passing MCC’s eligibility criteria and show a firm commitment to improving their policy performance.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption, and respecting democratic rights.