Mauritanian Prime Minister Moctar Ould Diay and his Senegalese counterpart Ousmane Sonko co-chaired a roundtable on Tuesday in Nouakchott aimed at deepening economic cooperation between the two nations.
The meeting took place as part of a three-day visit by the Senegalese Prime Minister to Mauritania.
The economic roundtable, held at the Nouakchott Conference Center, focused on fostering mutual investments, regulatory harmonization and the development of shared infrastructure.
During the discussions, Sonko highlighted the vital role of the private sector in Senegal’s economic vision, noting that “two-thirds of the anticipated investments must come from public-private partnerships or private initiatives.”
He placed particular emphasis on energy issues.
“In our Vision 2050, we aim to reach a capacity of 10,000 MW by 2050, compared to just under 1,700 MW today.”
Regarding bilateral relations, Sonko advocated for “perfect reciprocity,” stressing that “whatever a Mauritanian entrepreneur can do in Senegal, a Senegalese entrepreneur must also be able to do in Mauritania.”
He also commended Mauritania’s openness in the fishing sector.
Ould Diay noted the urgency of redefining economic cooperation.
“It is time, urgent and indispensable to lay new foundations for economic collaboration,” he declared.
He emphasized the shared strengths of the two countries: “our energy resources—renewable energy, gas, hydropower, wind, water, solar energy—along with agriculture, fishing and industry.”
Ould Diay pledged to “facilitate the work of our private sector,” committing to regulatory harmonization, streamlined procedures, and the development of cross-border infrastructure.
Addressing bureaucratic hurdles, he assured that “the Mauritanian government will take all necessary measures as quickly as possible to remove these obstacles.”
Both leaders praised recent private sector initiatives, particularly the creation of the Senegal-Mauritania Business Council.
Sonko described these as “welcome, long-awaited initiatives moving in the right direction.”
The discussion also touched on unifying local content policies, with Ould Diay proposing “a joint framework to manage local content in our countries.”
This meeting reflects a shared commitment to strengthening economic integration between the two nations.
Sonko remarked, “Even together, our markets are relatively small. But together, we are much stronger.”
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