President of Republic Meets with executives of Atar, Reviews Achievements and Prospects for Local Development
His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, chaired a meeting on Sunday evening with executives, notables, and stakeholders of the moughataa (department) of Atar, as part of his working and informational visit to the Wilaya of Adrar.
At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the President of the Republic renewed his thanks and gratitude to the population of the Wilaya of Adrar, particularly the residents of the city of Atar, praising the warm welcome extended to him as well as the strong popular mobilization recorded during the rally organized in the city.
His Excellency expressed his satisfaction with this meeting with the executives, notables, and political and economic stakeholders of the wilaya, as well as with several individuals interested in public affairs.
He emphasized that this meeting constitutes an opportunity to exchange and debate national issues, particularly those related to the Wilaya of Adrar and the city of Atar, inviting the participants to present their observations, opinions, and concerns, while renewing his thanks for their presence and participation.
In response to the interventions, His Excellency the President of the Republic thanked the participants for their patience and the attentiveness with which they followed the proceedings of this meeting, which clearly reflected the level of interest given to this wilaya as well as the attention and priority it enjoys.
He also expressed the hope that the answers and clarifications provided by the ministers contributed to addressing most of the questions and observations raised during the session and to providing the necessary clarifications to resolve any lingering questions.
His Excellency noted that the majority of the participants are youth, alongside figures and notables possessing a deep knowledge of the country’s history and reality, highlighting the importance of involving all stakeholders in the debate on national issues, particularly those pertaining to the Wilaya of Adrar and the city of Atar.
He explained that the demands expressed by the participants are legitimate and align, for many of them, with the concerns of citizens in the various wilayas of the country, although priorities vary from one region to another. He affirmed that improving living conditions and providing essential services are bound to contribute to boosting development and creating jobs.
His Excellency the President of the Republic affirmed that the handling of issues related to Adrar and Atar is part of a comprehensive national development vision implemented since 2019, based on a realistic diagnosis of the challenges facing the country.
His Excellency recalled the difficult conditions in which Mauritania began its journey in the aftermath of independence, in a context marked by weak infrastructure and the absence of many essential services, stressing that the efforts of successive governments have made it possible to achieve progressive advances, despite the persistent need to improve the level of services and development.
He underlined that youth constitute the majority of the Mauritian population and that their demands, based on their reality and needs, are legitimate and require accelerating the pace of action and addressing them, alongside meeting the needs of citizens in the various regions of the country.
He indicated that the diagnosis in terms of development has revealed significant challenges in the provision of essential services, particularly in the areas of education, health, water, and electricity. The education sector has long suffered from overcrowded classrooms, a deficit in infrastructure, and the proliferation of makeshift classrooms, while the health sector has also faced a shortage of infrastructure, equipment, and medical personnel.
His Excellency the President of the Republic emphasized that these sectors constitute pillars of development and the improvement of living conditions, affirming that access to water, education, health, energy, and electricity is a priority to guarantee a dignified life, strengthen development, and meet the aspirations of citizens, especially youth.
He affirmed that the fundamental objective consists of guaranteeing all citizens access to essential services throughout the country, starting from regional capitals and major cities, before gradually extending these services to other areas, in order to improve living conditions and enhance development and employment opportunities.
In the field of education, His Excellency explained that approximately 6,000 classrooms were built between 2019 and the end of 2025, to which 3,000 more are to be added during the year 2026, bringing the total to nearly 9,000 classrooms. Thousands of teachers have also been recruited, and the recruitment of more than 2,700 new teachers is currently in preparation.
He added that higher education has also experienced notable expansion, with the creation of several specialized institutes and grandes écoles, the reinforcement and development of university infrastructure, and a sharp increase in the number of students. This evolution was accompanied by an expansion of the infrastructure of the University of Nouakchott, strengthening its capacity to accommodate a growing number of students and meet the needs of higher education.
In the health sector, His Excellency the President of the Republic indicated that the State has adopted a program aimed at generalizing regional hospitals across the various wilayas, alongside the establishment of departmental (moughataa) hospitals, health centers, and health posts.
The health system has also been reinforced with medical equipment and human resources. The number of intensive care and resuscitation beds thus increased from 8 in 2019 to 148 currently, while the number of ambulances reached 280 vehicles, with the programming of the acquisition of 100 additional ambulances before the end of 2026.
His Excellency added that the medical emergency assistance service has been extended to a greater number of wilayas, allowing citizens in Nouakchott to request medical intervention and be transported to hospital facilities under safe conditions.
The health sector has also been reinforced by the recruitment of thousands of doctors, nurses, and midwives. The year 2026 recorded, in this regard, the largest recruitment in the history of the sector, with the integration of 1,200 medical and paramedical personnel.
In the field of water, His Excellency affirmed that progress has been made in addressing the drinking water crisis, particularly in Nouakchott, thanks to the expansion of the “Afout Essahli” and “Idini” projects, as well as efforts to improve the water supply in Nouadhibou.
He specified that before the end of the year, the production of the “Dhar” project in Hodh Chargui will be tripled, rising from 5,000 to 15,000 cubic meters per day.
Other major projects are also in preparation, notably the “Boghé-El Ghaira” and “Boghé-Tidjikja” projects, as well as programs for drilling wells and developing water resources, with the objective of completing 500 artesian boreholes during the year 2026.
In the field of electricity, His Excellency the President of the Republic explained that the authorities quickly handled the consequences of the fire that affected certain distribution substations in Nouakchott and adopted measures aimed at strengthening the availability and protection of the electrical system, notably through the provision of mobile transformers allowing rapid intervention in the event of a breakdown.
A commission was also set up to investigate the causes of the incident and draw the necessary lessons to prevent it from recurring.
His Excellency affirmed that major efforts are being deployed to improve electricity services in the various regions of the country, highlighting a tangible improvement in the level of service provision.
He expressed optimism regarding the possibility of resolving electricity problems in the various cities of the country during the current year, while the capital, Nouakchott, will experience progressive improvement in this area.
He explained that the level of electricity availability in both large and small cities has experienced a notable evolution compared to the previous situation, affirming that the current level of service cannot be compared to that of the past.
He recalled, in this regard, the acquisition of dozens of large generators and their distribution among the main cities, alongside the expansion of distribution networks.
His Excellency added that the files of electricity and water are subject to permanent monitoring, with Cabinet meetings notably dedicated to examining periodic reports on the situation of essential services in inland cities and identifying areas facing outages or breakdowns.
He also indicated that a weekly mechanism makes it possible to monitor the living conditions of citizens and the level of services, as well as to urgently handle breakdowns affecting water and electricity networks, in order to ensure their repair within the best possible timeframes.
In the same context, His Excellency explained that substantial investments have been injected into electricity production and network expansion, a significant share of which is currently being implemented.
He specified that the Wilaya of Adrar is benefiting, within the framework of the emergency program for access to essential services, from works aimed at connecting more than 40 villages to the electrical grid.
Regarding the next phase, His Excellency the President of the Republic explained that action will be oriented toward a second front dedicated to creating organized economic activities in the inland wilayas and rehabilitating the urban fabric of cities, in order to provide them with the necessary conditions for development and strengthen their capacity to attract populations and economic activities.
He added that the government is working on developing integrated plans intended to promote this aspect, specifying that once the projects relating to essential services are completed, part of the resources previously dedicated to them will be directed toward creating development poles and improving the urban landscape of major cities and regional capitals.
His Excellency expressed his optimism regarding the launch of this new development dynamic over the coming period, affirming that action will continue in this direction, despite unfavorable international conditions that have affected priorities and resources.
As for the Wilaya of Adrar, His Excellency the President of the Republic affirmed that the projects completed and those under execution are part of a global development vision aimed at improving essential services and strengthening the infrastructure of the wilaya.
He explained that Adrar has benefited from a set of projects within the framework of the emergency program for access to essential services, comprising 206 projects, for a total cost of approximately 15 billion old ouguiyas, with an execution rate of about 65%.
He indicated that these projects will contribute significantly to absorbing the deficit recorded in school infrastructure and improving schooling conditions in the wilaya.
His Excellency also announced the upcoming visit of a ministerial delegation to the wilaya, intended to discuss with citizens and elected officials the second phase of the program, witness firsthand real needs, and define priorities.
In the road sector, His Excellency announced that repair work on the damaged sections of the Atar-Akjoujt road will begin in the coming days, ahead of the ministerial delegation’s arrival.
The sections still in usable condition will, for their part, undergo a technical study designed to guarantee their sustainability and maintenance. Old degraded roads within the city of Atar will also be entirely rehabilitated.
Regarding the Atar airport, His Excellency the President of the Republic underlined the importance of its development and equipping in order to allow the reception of night flights and flights at various schedules, as well as the expansion of its security, control, and service infrastructure.
He also indicated that the work to connect the city of Atar to the electrical grid is underway and expected to be completed before the end of the year, which will contribute to improving the electricity situation in the city.
In the water sector, His Excellency affirmed that the deep tube well drilling program is continuing, some of which can reach a depth of 600 meters, specifying that the drilling rigs intended for this operation are expected to arrive at the beginning of next February [or March].
Pending the arrival of this equipment, work is being carried out to connect currently available surface wells to the network, in order to increase pumped water volumes and improve supply.
Concurrently, efforts are continuing to find a sustainable solution to the water problem in the city of Atar, through the construction of a hydraulic dam based on an integrated technical study, in order to definitively resolve this issue.
In the field of oases and agriculture, His Excellency announced the adoption of urgent measures aimed at reforming and developing the management of oases, notably the creation of the National Agency for Oasis Development and the restructuring of the Mauritanian Dates Company, in order to reinforce the role of this sector in local development and promote agricultural and oasis production in the Wilaya of Adrar.
During the meeting, Their Excellencies the Ministers of Education and Reform of the Educational System, Health, Energy and Petroleum, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Commerce and Tourism, Hydraulics and Sanitation, Social Action, Childhood and Family, as well as the General Delegate for National Solidarity and the Fight against Exclusion (“Taazour”) and the Commissioner for Food Security, presented briefings focusing on the main achievements recorded in their respective sectors at the level of the Wilaya of Adrar, as well as projects and programs under execution and future action plans aimed at strengthening the interventions of these sectors and supporting local development efforts in the wilaya.
For his part, the Mayor of Atar, Mr. Brahim Ould Ebdeba, expressed at the beginning of the meeting his sincere thanks and gratitude, on behalf of the commune’s residents, to His Excellency the President of the Republic, praising the achievements and gains recorded for the benefit of the wilaya over recent years.
He explained that these achievements have concerned several vital sectors, notably education, health, and water, as well as other domains that have contributed to improving services and strengthening local development.
He also praised the social interventions implemented by the government for the benefit of vulnerable categories and low-income individuals, appreciating in this regard the “Aoun” operation, which benefited a large number of citizens and provided direct support to the targeted groups.
Attending the meeting of executives were the Wali of Adrar, Mr. Abdallah Ould Mohamed Mahmoud, the official delegation accompanying His Excellency the President of the Republic, the President of the Regional Council of Adrar, as well as the hakem of Atar, the mayor of the commune, local elected officials, and the administrative and security authorities of the wilaya.