Mauritania Commemorates National Day of Local Industry

The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Mokhtar Housseynou Lam, Acting Minister of Trade, Industry, Handicrafts and Tourism, inaugurated the National Day of Industry, under the slogan “Together to accelerate the advancement and strengthening of our industry”.

The aim of this day is to introduce national industrial activity by establishing a permanent annual date in which all economic actors interested in the industrial sector meet in order to study the situation of industrial activity in the country and to search for solutions to the problems that hinder its advancement and progress.

The exhibition organized on this occasion is also an opportunity to introduce citizens and those interested in various national industrial products.

The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Acting Minister of Trade, Industry, Handicrafts and Tourism, explained that His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh EL Ghazouani, decided to work on developing industry, especially manufacturing industries, in areas in which our country enjoys competitive advantages, such as livestock, fishing, agriculture and renewable energies, which the government is working to embody on the ground.

He said that the reforms and measures taken by the sector have enabled the industrial production index in Mauritania to be raised by 7.3% this year 2023, compared to its level in 2022, and foreign direct investment in the sector has witnessed continuous progress of 13% despite the decline in the general level of foreign direct investment worldwide.

He added that the government has approved a new strategy for industrialization in our country by 2030, which aims in its general vision in the long term to promote a diversified, competitive, sustainable and integrated national industry in the national economy, respecting the environment, promising growth, creating employment and reducing disparities between regions, noting that the implementation of this strategy is entrusted to the Supreme Council for Industry, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, Mr. Mohammed Bilal Messoud.

He listed a number of factors that still limit the contribution of the industrial sector to the national economy, such as the absence of industrial experience, the weak performance of banks, the lack of manpower, and the narrow national market.