President of Republic Receives World Bank Delegation
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani received a World Bank delegation at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott on Monday. Mr. Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa, led the delegation.
Speaking after the meeting, Diagana said it was a privilege to meet the Mauritanian president and thanked him for his leadership and for several initiatives now being supported by the World Bank that were launched during his tenure as Chairperson of the African Union.
He particularly highlighted initiatives aimed at expanding access to electricity, including the Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. He also cited AgriConnect, which aims to accelerate efforts to address food insecurity while positioning agriculture as a driver of job creation and inclusive growth, as well as the Water initiative, which seeks to expand access to water while addressing sanitation and waterborne diseases.
Mr. Diagana also thanked President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani for his key role in mobilizing resources for the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which provides concessional financing to developing countries, particularly in Africa, on highly favorable terms.
The World Bank vice president said the meeting also provided an opportunity to introduce Djibrila Adamou Issa, the Bank’s new Country Operations Director for Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Cabo Verde, based in Dakar. He also briefed the president on institutional changes within the World Bank, under which the organization now operates as a single group with one country representative. In Mauritania, this role is held by Ibou Diouf.
The discussions also covered progress in implementing the World Bank’s new Country Partnership Framework with Mauritania, approved by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors about eight months ago. Mr. Diagana said implementation had already gotten off to a satisfactory start, with major programs focusing on energy, agriculture, and human capital development.
He said the framework also draws on lessons learned from the management of the World Bank’s portfolio in Mauritania, which he described as being in good health, citing strong disbursement rates and the portfolio’s contribution to creating greater opportunities for women, supporting climate change adaptation, and generating employment.
Mr. Diagana described the meeting as fruitful and thanked Mauritania’s Minister of Economy, Abdallah Ould Souleymane Ould Cheikh Sidiya, who also serves as the country’s World Bank governor, for his important role in the strong performance of the portfolio and in developing new ideas for future World Bank financing programs in Mauritania.