Addis Ababa, 27 August 2013 (ECA) – The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Carlos Lopes paid an official visit to Mauritania from August 24-27, where he engaged with President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and various State officials on a range of issues concerning the country’s macroeconomic stability and achievements made in good governance.
During the visit, Mr. Lopes appreciated the efforts made by the country to invest in improving its infrastructure; these efforts include the launch of the Free Trade Zone, the extension of the fishing port (Port de pêche).These investments have contributed to propelling the country towards steady economic growth which, he noted, would need additional efforts for the country to see higher and sustainable growth rates.
Mr. Lopes observed that Mauritania’s Free Trade Zone, located at the Bay of Nouadhibou has enormous natural and strategic potential and can serve as a development pole. The Zone provides enormous trade potential in light of tax breaks and other social and administrative benefits, contributing to job creation. He observed that the Nouadhibou FTZ would need to identify its niche in order for it to become a key player in the country’s industrial development that can result in a more efficient and durable structural transformation. The FTZ can also serve as a real actor in the cooperation dynamics of the region.
While he commended the Mauritanian mining company, SNIM’s aim to reach the goal of being one of the world's top 5 exporters of iron minerals in 2025, with an annual production of 40 million of tones per year, he insisted that this should be done in the context of an industrialisation policy, with an ambitious objective of value addition. SNIM is the premier employer in the country, generating more than 10,000 jobs, followed by the State.
In his discussions with Mauritanian officials, Mr. Lopes highlighted the need for Africa to industrialize, as a means towards job creation, in particular, for Africa’s unemployed youth. He underscored that high youth unemployment remains a concern to not only Mauritania, but the entire subregion. Industrialization, said Lopes, will contribute to job creation, raise incomes and allow for diversification of exports.
According to Lopes, Mauritania’s investment in an industrialization policy, in trade and regional integration, could pave the path for greater growth. This, he underscored, would need to be underpinned by a new approach to planning as well as sound, home-grown data. For now, he underlined, the world also needs to know Mauritania. In this regard, the Executive Secretary expressed his commitment to technical and strategic policy support to the country and underscored the importance of new forms of partnerships with development actors to advance the Country's advancement.
While in Mauritania, the Executive Secretary met with Ministers of Economic Affairs and Development, Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Finance, Trade, Industry, Crafts and Tourism, Employment and Professional Training, Oil, Energy and Mines and the Mauritanian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, as well as the UN Country team. He also addressed the challenge of youth employment in Mauritania in an interview with the newspaper , Le Calame . He reiterated the need for a proactive approach through structural transformation of African economies that he said will contribute to job creation and allow for the diversification of exports ( Le Calame , 27 Août 2013)
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