Mauritania, a Saharan country on the west coast of Africa, is a lower-middle income country whose per capita income peaked around 1970.
Since gaining independence in 1960, Mauritania's economy has been shaped by its natural resources, with iron ore, fisheries, and agriculture forming the backbone of its GDP. While these sectors have driven growth, the country faces challenges such as persistent poverty, limited infrastructure, and heavy reliance on commodity exports, making it vulnerable to global price fluctuations. In recent decades, efforts to diversify the economy, attract foreign investment, and address social inequality have marked its development trajectory, but significant challenges remain in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth.
In recent years, growth has become dominated by extraction of natural resources, especially mining, which has provided much needed income but also economic volatility. Perhaps partly driven by rapid desertification in the western Sahara, Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, is among the fastest growing cities in the world.
The Mauritania Threshold Program seeks to assist the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in addressing two constraints to economic growth: expensive, unreliable, and unequal electricity services, and vulnerability to environmental hazards.
Financials
Financials as of January 7, 2025
Program Budget
Milestones
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Signed:
January 7, 2025
Program Projects
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$11,850,000
Project Total Amount -
$0
Project Amount Committed -
$0
Project Amount Expended
The Mauritania Energy Sector Project (MESP) aims to support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to improve the capacity of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, electricity regulator, and the electricity utility to engage in power sector planning, grid operations, and electricity regulation, responding to the root cause of the high cost, unreliable, and uneven access of electricity.
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$10,000,000
Project Total Amount -
$0
Project Amount Committed -
$0
Project Amount Expended
The Mauritania Resilience Project aims to improve the capacity of the Government of Mauritania to develop fundable, resilient projects and incorporate social impact into the environmental impact assessment process.