Mauritania, one of West Africa’s most promising markets for Spanish companies 

Casa Árabe hosted a business meeting with Spain’s ambassador to Mauritania, Pablo Barbará, and the Exporters and Investors Club at its Madrid headquarters. The meeting addressed the opportunities which this country offers in sectors such as water, logistics, electrification and renewable energy.

Led by Spain’s ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Pablo Barbará Gómez, the meeting featured an in-depth analysis of the country’s situation, its economic strategies for attracting investment and the opportunities which it can offer to Spanish companies. 

The event, organized by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation (and more specifically, its Directorate of Economic Diplomacy), in conjunction with the Spanish Embassy in Mauritania, and in collaboration with the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club and Casa Árabe, was also attended by Jordi Colgan Perera, Director General of Economic Diplomacy at the aforementioned ministry, and Francisco Javier Álvarez Casanova, Deputy Director General for Mediterranean Countries, Africa and the Middle East at the State Secretariat for Trade. The event was officially opened by Casa Árabe’s General Director, Miguel Moro Aguilar, and the President of the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club, Antonio Bonet. 

Despite the turbulent situation in the Sahel region, Mauritania offers an environment of political stability and legal certainty. With a privileged geographic location that serves as a bridge connecting North Africa and the sub-Saharan region, the country has devised a powerful strategy to attract foreign investment. 

Throughout their dialogue, which included some twenty companies from the Exporters and Investors Club, in addition to others, the main drivers of growth shaping the bilateral agenda and the country’s development were identified. Among these, the imperative of national industrialization, increased agricultural production, and improved electrification are most notable. Various projects in the fields of water, logistics, high-voltage grids, gas-to-power, and most notably, renewable energy were also discussed at length, representing an ideal niche of opportunity for the expertise held by Spanish companies. 

The meeting also served to highlight the strong institutional support which this market enjoys. The holding of the First High-Level Meeting between the two countries last year provided significant momentum to their economic relations. Designated as a priority country within the “Africa Advances Alliance” initiative, Mauritania now has a new Economic and Trade Office in Nouakchott to strengthen bilateral relations, currently exceeding 712 million euros in mutual trade. Similarly, participants were reminded of the financial facilities available to mitigate country risks through FIEM credit lines, in both their repayable and non-repayable forms. 

The meeting reflects the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club’s ongoing commitment to bringing strategic markets closer to Spanish companies, forming part of the extensive cooperation existing with Casa Árabe, all with the shared goal of accompanying and supporting the internationalization processes of Spanish companies in Arab countries, especially lesser-known markets that possess significant natural resources and potential, including strategic potential, as is the case with Mauritania. 

For further information, visit the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club website.