On 27 December, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, affirmed he had ordered the creation of a social fund for humanitarian cases for the benefit of gold miners, the establishment of which is entrusted to Maaden Mauritaniawith an amount of MRO 1 billion.

In the speech he delivered during the laying of the founding stone of the headquarters of the National Agency Maaden Mauritania, he praised the efforts of the gold miners that made it possible to extract the invaluable wealth that our soil contains.

Here is the full text of this speech:

‘’ Our presence today at Maaden Mauritania offers me another opportunity to appreciate the efforts, discipline, and courage of gold miners who have been able to take full advantage of our rich soil.

I want to highlight the importance of these efforts, which constitute an important contribution to the national economy.

The efforts of the gold miners, combined with those of their administration, give us the impression of pride, sometimes tainted with sadness and sorrow when one of our sons falls victim of an unfortunate accident while exercising the profession

.

This sadness is doubled when the accident occurs because of a fault that can be avoided, such as, for example gold mining beyond our borders, or non-compliance with security measures.

This behavior is simply unacceptable and should not continue, and I appeal to everyone to remain vigilant in this regard in favor of compliance with regulatory and legal measures so as not to expose themselves to danger.

No need to recall the importance of this sector and the particular attention that I give to it, because I accompanied it in all stages. I was in Zouerate to get informed closely. I visited the city

of Chami for the same objective. Maaden Mauritania was created to assist it and here we are with you today in Nouakchott for laying the foundation stone of the headquarters of the company Maaden Mauritania.

Since the social domain constitutes the cornerstone of our priorities, I gave my instructions for the creation of a social fund intended for humanitarian cases within the framework of gold mining.

I demanded that the management of this fund, which will start, for the year 2023, with a budget of MRO 1 billion, be transparent and rational and that it serves with honesty and confidence all those for

which its services are oriented.

In response to your request, I will order the attachment of the Tamayat Tasiast zone to Maaden Mauritania, at the same time, I seize this opportunity to reaffirm the firmness of the administrative and security authorities with regard to the exercise of gold mining outside the areas belonging to Maaden Mauritania, in addition to respecting the laws and texts organizing the activity. ”