Government Spokesperson: Program Budgeting is an Important Stage in the Process of Modernizing Public Financial Management
The government spokesperson, Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, Houssein Ould Medou, affirmed that the draft decree presented by the Minister of Finance, concerning the repeal and replacement of Decree No. 2010-066 issued on March 18, 2010, regarding the designation of employees and state agents authorized to sign on behalf of principal spending officers, falls within the framework of implementing the 2026 budget, which was prepared for the first time using a program-based budget approach.
He explained, while commenting on the results of the Cabinet meeting held this Wednesday evening in the press room at the Mauritanian News Agency headquarters in Nouakchott, accompanied by the Ministers of Youth Empowerment and Employment, Sports, Civil Service and Public Function, Labor, Digital Transformation, and Administrative Modernization, that transitioning to program budgeting represents an important stage in the process of modernizing public financial management, as it enhances the accountability of the entities responsible for executing the budget, ensuring that the set objectives are achieved based on clear and measurable indicators.
In response to a question regarding the Western Sahara issue, He reaffirmed Mauritania’s firm stance based on supporting both parties and encouraging them to engage in dialogue to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.
For his part, the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Employment, Sports, and Civil Service, Mr. Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Louly, in his remarks on the draft decree concerning the organization of private employment offices abroad, stated that the international mobility of the workforce represents an important tool to enhance employment opportunities, capitalize on national competencies, and open new horizons for young job seekers, pointing out that this professional mobility also contributes to the transfer of expertise, strengthening of financial remittances, and the development of economic relations between countries.
That the Mauritanian Labor Law, particularly Article 387, provides for the regulation of this activity, allowing for a legal framework that ensures transparency in employment operations and protects workers’ rights.
He indicated that one of the main objectives of the decree is to enhance the protection of Mauritanian workers abroad, by establishing a clear and transparent regulatory framework for the activity of private employment offices, and adopting a prior administrative licensing system for practicing this activity, issued by a joint decision of the Minister in charge of Employment and the Minister in charge of Labor. For her part, the Minister of Public Service and Labor, Mrs. Marieme Boydiel Homeid, explained in her presentation of the statement regarding the practical measures recently undertaken by the government to complete the process of recruiting 3,000 employees and state agents that this measure comes as an implementation of the commitment mentioned in the speech of His Excellency the President of the Republic on the occasion of the sixty-fifth anniversary of the National Independence Day.
In turn, the Minister of Digital Transformation and Administrative Modernization, Mr. Ahmed Salem Bed Etvagha, explained in his presentation of the joint statement on organizing the major public service competition that a ministerial committee headed by the Prime Minister supervises the recruitment process. The committee includes the sectors of digital transformation, youth empowerment, public service and labor, and health. It has appointed two technical committees, one of which is tasked with proposing technical solutions to ensure transparency and simplify procedures for candidates, in coordination with the National Competitions Committee as the official authority supervising the organization of competitions.