The African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional financing window of the African Development Bank Group, has allocated $767,000 to Mauritania to boost livestock farming, which is the country’s second-largest source of livelihood.
A funding agreement was signed in Nouakchott on July 19, 2023, between Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh, and the Bank Group’s Deputy Director General for North Africa, Malinne Blomberg, witnessed by Mauritania’s Minister for Livestock Farming, Hmedeît Ould Cheine.
This agreement will facilitate the implementation of Mauritania’s Inclusive Livestock Sector Development Project (AWKAR) in the northeastern part of the Hodh Chargui region (Dahr).
The project aims to address the challenges faced by the agropastoral sector and create opportunities for more structural projects and programs related to livestock farming.
Livestock farming plays a critical role in Mauritania’s food and nutritional security, with 60 to 70 percent of the population relying on it as a primary source of income.
The sector contributes around 9.8 percent of the country’s GDP, as per the National Statistical Agency (ANSADE 2021).
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The AWKAR project will receive support from the African Development Fund to conduct feasibility and environmental and social safeguard studies.
Additionally, it will assist in developing a master investment plan for livestock farming in Mauritania, with project management by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The project’s alignment with the African Development Bank’s “Feed Africa” strategy seeks to transform African agriculture into a competitive and inclusive agro-food sector, promoting wealth creation, improved living conditions, and environmental protection.
This Livestock Investment Master Plan (LIVEMAP) aims to address constraints in creating inclusive livestock farming value chains. Mauritania’s commitment to developing the livestock sector as a significant contributor to the national economy by 2025 is also in line with this strategy.
The focus areas include cattle and red meat, milk and dairy products, leather and hides, and poultry farming.
Overall, the funding and initiatives for livestock farming in Mauritania demonstrate the collaboration between the African Development Bank and the Mauritanian government to bolster the country’s livestock sector and foster sustainable economic growth in the region.
