Mauritania has significant reserves of natural resources, particularly hydrocarbons and precious metals. This gives it an advanced place in the concert of pioneer African countries in the development and diversification of extractive industries.
Geological data have now confirmed the presence in the subsoil of some 900 mining indicators; including mainly iron, gold, copper, phosphate, gypsum, uranium, quartz, rare earths and black earths …
To this must be added, of course, the oil and gas resources in the Taoudenni basin and the coastal basin which has been confirmed during the past twenty years.
The activities of the exploitation of these potentials, launched in 2006, currently representing the largest industrial field in the national economy, with the participation of several national and international giants, which exploit the deposits of gas, iron, copper, gold and uranium.
During the year 2020, the contribution of extractive industries activities reached 24.2% of GDP, the highest contribution that a single sector could total in Mauritania, thus promoting a growth of the sector of 35.5%, thanks to a remarkable rise in the prices of gold and iron over the last period.
The challenge of good governance
Mauritania joined, in 2007, the international transparency initiative in the extractive industries, to harmonize its management system with global standards for the good governance of oil, gas and mining resources.
From that year, the national commission published three reports on the level of transparency in the extractive industries and the progress made in the fight against mismanagement and corruption.
These reports analyze the situation in Mauritania, based on Standard international criteria, to objectively measure the level of transparency and indicate the priority objectives for the action plan.
The results of these reports show that the situation in Mauritania is generally satisfactory, according to the last report published in 2017 and updated in 2021
Expected achievements
Based on the criteria of transparency in this area, we could, yet, notice that the situation requires, in order to comply with these criteria, more improvement and development, particularly at the institutional level and in terms of facilitating access to information.
With regard to improving the institutional system, it, certainly, requires the creation of a multidimensional body, representing all actors and operators in this field, to ensure good governance of income and reasonable exploitation of natural resources.
Equally important is also the implementation of a mechanism guaranteeing free and rapid access to information and all documents, non-confidential, concerning the management of the extractive sector.
Establishing these two institutions will, no doubt, allow private actors to increase their profits through active and effective participation in projects development work, which would, effectively, help to reduce the unemployment rate and ensure the development of local content.