A new financing agreement signed in Nouakchott with the World Bank and the German government aims to reintegrate nearly 850,000 out-of-school youth in Mauritania and Chad into national education systems, under the regional “Sahel Recovery” initiative.
The two countries have taken a major step forward in tackling school dropout rates among young people in underserved areas.
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the two Sahelian nations signed a $137 million funding agreement (approximately €125 million) with the World Bank and Germany to implement the Sahel Recovery Project, designed to expand access to education in rural, nomadic, and border communities most at risk of exclusion.
Of the total amount committed, $72.32 million has been earmarked for Mauritania. This includes $44 million in concessional loans from the International Development Association (IDA) and $12.9 million in grants from the German government, which has pledged a total contribution of $56 million to support the entire program. The remaining funds will go to Chad, ensuring a balanced regional distribution.
The initiative comes at a critical time. According to the World Bank, more than 5.1 million young people in Mauritania and Chad are currently out of school. The project targets 850,000 youth, half of whom are girls, using a flexible “open school” model tailored to local realities—particularly for nomadic, displaced, and refugee communities.
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