OMVS Council of Ministers Holds 63rd Extraordinary Session

The Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) held its 63rd extraordinary session on Tuesday evening in Nouakchott. The main objective of the meeting is to examine the reports of activities and the challenges facing the organization.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of Oil, Energy, and Mines, Mr. Abdel Salam Ould Mohamed Saleh, expressed, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, his happiness for welcoming the guests in Mauritania, wishing the work of the session a howling success.

He stressed that this session is being held under difficult circumstances due to COVID-19, which has had significant socio-economic impacts.

A challenge that the OMVS has a duty to overcome, through support to member countries in the areas of water, energy, and food security.

The minister praised the role OMVS is playing in the region, especially in Nouakchott which benefits from water and electricity from the Manantali dam. He subsequently clarified that the energy sector is one of the axes whose development OMVS promotes, which can only foster the conditions necessary for the socio-economic development of member countries.

For his part, the OMVS High Commissioner, Mr. Hamed Diane Semega, congratulated the Mauritanian authorities on the organization of the conference, despite the difficult circumstances. He said this special session revolves around the performance challenge and the search for the best possible governance of the organization.

He noted that the main qualities to be acquired remain the objectivity, neutrality, and sustainability of the decisions made within the framework of the strategies.

For his part, Mr. Serigne Mbaye Thiam, Senegalese Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, current Chairman of the OMVS Council of Ministers, thanked the Mauritanian Minister for all the facilities that allowed the success of the session.

He then expressed his gratitude to the Heads of State of member countries who have made the Senegal River a space of peace, fraternity, and cooperation, while elsewhere in the world, water resources have become causes of conflicts.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Mines, Energy, and Water of Mali, Mr. Lamine Saydou Traoré, the Minister of Petroleum and Energy of Senegal, Ms. Sophie Gladima, as well as experts and senior officials of the organization.