President of the Republic presides over a Ramadan Iftar Banquet with University Students
Nouakchott
Within the framework of strengthening direct communication between the national leadership and the youth, HE President of the Republic, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazwani, presided on Thursday evening (20 Ramadan 1446 AH, corresponding to March 20, 2025), over an Iftar banquet with a group of university students inside the university campus, with the aim of listening to their aspirations and supporting their academic path.
His Excellency the President of the Republic’s keenness to eat Ramadan iftar with university students, in a family session, reflects a strong message of encouragement to students of science, in this spiritual atmosphere, which is a source of pride for our students in their various specializations.
His Excellency the President of the Republic met with his students amid great satisfaction with the achievements that have improved their conditions, including increasing the number of scholarships from 5886 in 2019 to 15804 in 2025, and opening a 4000-bed university residence in Nouakchott. The President also announced new measures to support students, including the distribution of free health insurance cards to all university students and free transportation cards for students from families registered in the social registry.
Other achievements in the field of higher education include doubling the sector’s budget from 992 million new ouguiyas in 2019 to more than two billion new ouguiyas by 2024, increasing capacity by building a new university campus with a capacity of 11,000 students, expanding the Higher Institute for Technological Education (ISET), adding 11 new specializations to bring the total to 61, and establishing higher institutes for energy, statistics, and digitization, in addition to the Nouakchott School of Business, the preparation of a national strategy for higher education, another for scientific research, and the establishment of the National Agency for Scientific Research and the National Fund for Scientific Research. In addition to the Nouakchott Business School, 319 university professors and medical assistants were hired, a national strategy for higher education and scientific research was prepared, the National Agency for Scientific Research and the National Fund with a budget of nearly half a billion old ouguiyas were established, the first national forums for scientific research and innovation were organized, professors’ salaries were improved, and the number of doctoral enrolments increased by more than 200%.
In the future, new institutions will be established: the Higher School of Veterinary Medicine (Nema), the Higher School of Agricultural Sciences (Kaedi), the Faculty of Applied Sciences (Nouakchott), the University of the North (Nouadhibou), a university hospital and a new university cafeteria with a capacity of 2000 seats, and strengthening the pedagogical and digital capabilities of professors through the establishment of a university pedagogy center.
These achievements and measures reflect the President’s keenness to develop higher education, in order to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development for future generations.
The Iftar ceremony was attended by First Lady Dr. Mariem Fadel Dah, Minister in charge of the Office of the President of the Republic Mr. Nani Ould Shrougha, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mr. Yacoub Ould Moyne, Director General of State Honors Mr. Elhassan Ould Ahmed, heads and directors of higher education institutions, university professors, and a group of students.