Mauritania: What you need to know

Mauritania is primarily a desert country, with scattered pastoral land (land used by livestock for grazing, pasture and watering) and only 0.5% arable land (land under temporary agricultural crops). The population is approximately 4.8 million people, and the density of only four inhabitants per square kilometre makes it one of the world's least densely populated countries.

Market Opportunities of Note

The energy sector (oil and gas exploration and production, hydrocarbon refinery and storage, renewable energy production and power generation and transmission), fisheries and tourism sectors offer some of the best market opportunities for investors.

Mining, primarily of iron ore, is one of Mauritania's most important industries. Iron ore production accounts for 46% of total exports. Other minerals mined in Mauritania include gold, copper and a small number of rare earth minerals. According to the Ministry of Petroleum, Mines, and Energy, green hydrogen is also an emerging market opportunity in Mauritania, given the country's availability of approximately 700,000 square kilometers for the installation of solar panels and/or wind turbines for power generation.

Development in Mauritania

Mauritania has renewed its focus on developing infrastructure, particularly road construction and telecommunications, to facilitate plans for the energy, fishing and agribusiness sectors.

A 38-kilometre road connecting Nouakchott to the new N'Diago port, a 112-kilometre Aleg-Boutilimit road, and a 42-kilometre Nouakchott-Boutilimit road are all ongoing construction projects. Another initiative to create a more conducive business environment is the recently completed 4,000-kilometre fibre optic line that runs through the country's major cities, which will improve internet connectivity.

As international companies continue to arrive in the country, more opportunities are being created, hence the focus on advancing the creation of needed facilities in Mauritania.

Immigration Requirements

At Fragomen, we have seen an attraction towards investment in the country, whereby more companies assign employees to conduct work activities on some projects. Investors should keep in mind that, in order to deploy foreign nationals in the country, immigration requirements and company compliance must be met.

The immigration laws of Mauritania provide several options for employers of foreign nationals. Requirements, processing times, employment eligibility and benefits for accompanying family members vary by visa classification.

Companies intending to hire employees in Mauritania must have a registered entity and must ensure that all employees are registered for social security (CNSS). Also, the labour market test is required for localization purposes.

The updated law, Decree 2022-22, also requires a detailed localization plan for "Mauritanization" to be submitted to the Ministry of Employment for any company intending to employ more than eight expatriates. In practice, a company must demonstrate that it has a training skills strategy in place, as well as a succession plan.

Need to know more?

The process of obtaining authorisations to conduct work activities in Mauritania may become quite complex. Therefore, to understand and comply with the regulations, the assistance of a team who is well-versed in this arena is very important.

For further information on this topic, please contact Immigration Manager Zainab Morton at [email protected]. This blog was published on 16 February 2023, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.