Government Spokesman: President of the Republic ordered the Settlement of the Problem of Collaborators in Public Media Institutions

The Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication and Relations with Parliament, Government Spokesman, Mr. Hussein Ould Medou, confirmed that the President of the Republic gave directives to take the necessary measures to finally settle the file of collaborators in public media institutions, and a committee was formed on the subject under the guidance of the Prime Minister, where the process began, to determine the real number of these workers and not the fictitious one (1600 collaborators).

Commenting on the results of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening at the Hall of the Mauritanian News Agency in Nouakchott, accompanied by  the Ministers of Youth, Employment, Sports, Civil Service, Digital Transformation and Modernization of Administration, Minerals and Industry, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, he stressed the importance of subscribing to collaborators in these institutions, explaining that practical steps in this aspect have begun, and that the issue of settlement will be in consultation between the ministries of culture and finance, the relevant institutions and unions.

Regarding the Press Support Fund,  the Minister said in response to a question on the subject, that the Fund will witness new improvements, represented in doubling the support provided to the press to reach 400 million old ouguiyas for the first time in history in fulfillment of the commitments of the President of the Republic, in addition to other improvements related to the consecration of freedom and gender (enhancing the presence of women).

He pointed out that the management of the fund will belong to the High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (HAPA).

In response to a question about the recent participation of the President of the Republic in the BRICS summit, the government spokesman said that the participation enabled great gains for the African continent, as its demands were raised in international forums in which the President participated.

Commenting on the statement on the establishment of a flexible civil service in accordance with the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Employment, Sports and Civil Service, Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Louli, said that youth issues are one of the main axes of the President’s program and in the government’s general policy declaration, as the declaration included the training of 500 young people for volunteer work, to establish a civil service that takes into account the social specificity of the country and makes the social diversity of citizens an important tributary, and to provide opportunities for Mauritanian youth.

He added that last September witnessed the formation of 500 young volunteers for the civil service within the framework of the Nouakchott modern city approach in partnership with the nine municipalities of Nouakchott, where they took all necessary measures to contribute to preparing schools for school opening, and these volunteers contributed to the flow of traffic in the capital.

He added that among the objectives of the sector is to make the best use of public spaces in Nouakchott, as well as to contribute to health awareness and medical guidance, and to improving civic behaviour through targeted messages.

For his part, the Minister of Digital Transformation and Modernization of Administration, Mr. Ahmed Salem Bede Etvagha, said that the government is working to launch a number of basic services, such as the “Ain” platform, which was launched by the Prime Minister last week to be a watchful eye to serve citizens, by submitting their grievances by various means (written, oral, video, photos) about public services.

During his comment on the draft decree on determining the controls, management and procedures for accessing the digital portal for public services, he stressed that the Prime Minister is following with interest what is contained on this platform, as he formed a committee from the Prime Ministry to follow up and inform the sector concerned, as each sector formed a cell for the subject, explaining that the platform has so far received 450 complaints from various regions of the country, 243 of which have been finally addressed.

Regarding the Maslaha platform, His Excellency the Minister highlighted that the sector was keen to establish a unified portal to enable citizens to access digital services, instead of establishing a platform at the level of each government sector, stressing that the platform has become present and can be downloaded to smartphones, and it is linked to the civil status in a flexible and secure way that saves citizens’ personal data in cooperation with the Personal Data Protection Authority.

For his part, the Minister of Minerals and Industry, Mr. Thiam Tidjani, said that the statement on the industrial sector and development prospects presented practical proposals to address the challenges and obstacles in the industrial field, such as improving the infrastructure to support and develop industrial zones, and framing and regulating the industrial sector in the short term.

He added that the statement proposes solutions at the medium and long levels, such as developing industrial clusters in key sectors, improving and qualifying labor skills, increasing the local share in strategic industries, while in the long term, they include making the country a pole of renewable energies and industrial production in West North Africa, and establishing a diversified industrial sector.

The Minister reiterated the State’s seriousness in achieving these goals and overcoming obstacles to create an industrial sector that serves development and creates added value capable of competing in local, regional and international markets, which can only be achieved through the concerted efforts of all actors in the sector, and the government will work to facilitate the necessary financing mechanisms for the industrial sector.

The Minister pointed out that the statement included several axes that stopped at the current situation of industry and the main obstacles to the development of industry in Mauritania, which included general obstacles such as the weak absorption of the national market, the lack of integration of the industrial fabric and the lack of a promotional framework, in addition to obstacles related to the local industry, such as the high costs of factors of production, the shortage of specialized labor and the absence of a financing mechanism allocated to industry.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Mr. Momma Ould  Babetta, stressed that the urgent measures taken by the government to deal with the river floods that occurred in the provinces of Guidimagha, Gorgol, Brakna and Trarza recently, have been effective and successful, as the state was able in a short period of time to house 2,275 families in ten shelters equipped with all the necessary means of life.

He stressed that the situation is improving, praise be to God, as residents in the states of Guidimahga and Gorgol are preparing to return to their places of origin, in the hope that the normal life of citizens in other states will return in the next few days, stressing that the intensity of the flood is currently concentrated between the province of Boghe and Lekseiba 2 in Trarza.

Commenting on his presentation today at the Council of Ministers on the floods, he said that citizens who preferred to stay in their places were contacted by the administrative authorities there, praising the role played by the army in the operation by transporting the affected people in boats to safe areas after the roads were closed to cars.

The losses caused by floods in the agricultural field were limited, he said, according to satellite data, stressing that the ministry will send field missions in consultation with actors in the sector to these areas to find out what happened there.

On the other hand, the Minister stressed that the sector will take measures to take advantage of the floods that reached agricultural areas for the first time, hoping that the renaissance witnessed by the agricultural sector in recent years will be strengthened in the upcoming agricultural campaigns, to reach the ultimate goal of the President of the Republic to achieve food sovereignty.