Nouakchott (UNA/WAM) – Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Diay and his Senegalese counterpart, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, chaired a roundtable discussion on the partnership between the public and private sectors in the two countries, at the Conference Palace in Nouakchott, on Tuesday morning, under the slogan “Strengthening the strategic partnership for sustainable economic integration.”
The roundtable, organized by the Mauritania Investment Promotion Agency, aims to discuss investment opportunities and enhance partnership in vital sectors between the two countries, especially the energy, minerals, fishing, development, livestock and agriculture sectors.
At the beginning, two documentaries were presented, reviewing the various investment opportunities and promising capabilities in both countries in the fields of agriculture, livestock, minerals, energy, transportation and other vital fields of interest to investors.
Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Ajay explained that he and his Senegalese counterpart Ousmane Sonko reviewed everything that could be done to enhance cooperation between the two countries, and of course economic relations and cooperation between them, stressing that the issue of developing the private sector was at the heart of the discussions, as a clear and common conclusion was reached that there is an urgent need to lay new foundations for economic cooperation that would consolidate cooperation between our two private sectors.
He added that the two countries have great potential, especially in the field of renewable energy, gas, solar energy, wind energy, oil, water resources, agriculture, livestock, fishing and industry, in addition to their other enormous potential, opportunities to establish import-substituting industries, diverse competitive industries, and in the field of trade and investment in special economic zones, free trade zones and trade corridors, especially the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott-Dakar corridor.
He explained that the two parties are committed to facilitating the task of their private sectors and helping them overcome all difficulties by creating all the necessary conditions for their development and prosperity, including regulatory harmonization, simplifying procedures, developing cross-border infrastructure, the necessary infrastructure to support growth, obtaining financing and strict implementation of laws related to local content, and agreeing on a joint framework for managing local content in the two countries.
To achieve this goal, the Prime Minister called on the two private sectors to work hand in hand by doubling the frameworks and partnerships between them through platforms for dialogue and exchange of expertise, joint projects, mechanisms for engaging youth and encouraging start-ups.
He explained that the Senegalese private sector will be welcomed by the Mauritanian private sector, noting in this regard that the Mauritanian government will take all necessary steps to remove all obstacles as soon as possible, stressing the need to work together to lay the foundations for the required growth, saying: “Let us work together to make the strategic partnership between Mauritania and Senegal a driving force for regional and continental integration, and a path to prosperity.”
For his part, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko pointed out that cooperation should not be limited to the oil and gas sector, but should extend to include agriculture, livestock, finance, training, etc., as “energy is the key to industrialization.”
He added that the availability of energy in sufficient quantities and at a reasonable cost is a condition for the transformation and development of the agricultural sector, because renewable energies are developing slowly, and the country now needs energy in sufficient quantities of at least 10,000 megawatts by 2050, yet production does not exceed 1700 megawatts, which shows the gap that must be filled.
He pointed out that Senegal relies on the African private sector and African capital for investment, welcoming Mauritanian investors.
He said that the presidents of the two countries, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and Mr. Bassiro Diomaye Faye, established distinguished relations between the two countries, and now we must work to raise these relations to a new level. The will is there, and the rest must follow. Everything a businessman can do in Senegal, he must be able to do in Mauritania.
The Senegalese Prime Minister explained that the discussions continued for two days on the issues raised, and there was a commitment to work quickly to facilitate relations between Senegal and Mauritania, and to support economic operators and protect them from competition, because our private sector does not have great capabilities and our financial sector is still weak, and we need a contribution from the world for the benefit of our countries and their private sectors.
He stressed that the agreement signed by the two energy ministers will strengthen the framework and local content, and this model should be extended to include all sectors of the economy: fisheries, national ICT factories, etc.
For his part, the President of the National Union of Mauritanian Employers, Mr. Mohamed Zein El Abidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed, praised the cooperative relations between the two countries, noting that Mauritania and Senegal share many projects that confirm this cooperation.
He pointed out that the most important features of this strong partnership are the Ahmeym joint gas field project and the Rosso Bridge project currently under construction.
He said that these projects embody the desire to develop and enhance cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
For his part, the President of the National Council of Senegalese Employers, Mr. Bédi Agne, expressed his happiness to attend this roundtable, which derived its importance from the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries, Senegal and Mauritania. At the same time, he expressed his great gratitude for the level of hospitality that the Senegalese Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation received in Mauritania, which reflects the level of excellent cooperation relations between the two countries and the strength of the existing partnership between them.
In his speech, he focused on the need to unify efforts to build a strong economy for the two countries that is consistent with their common goals.
The speakers' interventions in the roundtable focused on the importance of organizing this type of meeting, as it discusses enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as gas, fishing, energy, green energy, agriculture, animal development, and other areas of common interest that work to enhance the economies of the two countries, which benefits the two peoples.
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