Mauritania and Germany signed a €35 million financial cooperation agreement on Monday to support technical and vocational training, biodiversity protection and the development of the blue economy. The agreement was signed in Nouakchott by Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, Abdallah Souleymane Cheikh Sidiya, and Germany’s Ambassador to Mauritania, Florian Reindel.
The financing, equivalent to approximately 1.61 billion new ouguiyas, comprises three funding streams. Two, worth a combined €20 million, will support technical and vocational education and training, while the remaining €15 million will go towards biodiversity protection in coastal areas and blue economy development.
Sidiya said the agreement marked another step in strengthening cooperation between Mauritania and Germany, noting that the country had benefited from nearly €100 million in German funding over the past few decades. The vocational training component will seek to improve training quality, align programmes with labour market needs and strengthen partnerships with the private sector.
Part of the funding will also finance the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of vocational training institutions, alongside measures to maintain their infrastructure. The coastal component will support marine scientific research, sustainable management of natural resources and the protection of coastal ecosystems, while addressing marine litter, overfishing, climate change and coastal erosion.
Reindel said the agreement demonstrated the strength of bilateral relations and Germany’s commitment to a sustainable development partnership with Mauritania. He said the support would strengthen the skills and professional capabilities of young Mauritanians, facilitate their integration into the labour market and contribute to the country’s economic and social development.
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