## Islamic Republic of Mauritania: Climate Public Investment Management Assessment

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**Canonical URL:** [Islamic Republic of Mauritania: Climate Public Investment Management Assessment](https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/hls/2023/english/hlsea2023017.pdf)

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### Background
- Mission dates: 19 to 27 June 2023.
- Assessment frameworks applied: Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (CPIMA) and an update of the 2020 Public Investment Management Assessment (PIMA).
- Country context:
  - 90% of territory covered by the Sahara.
  - 0.5% arable land.
  - Authorities estimate adaptation costs at $10.6 billion over 2021–2030.
  - Commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Strategic priorities and initiatives noted:
  - Prioritization of public infrastructure investment in energy, roads, and water.
  - Participation in the Great Green Wall initiative with 20 other countries.
  - Forthcoming green hydrogen projects intended to boost agriculture and mining.
  - In 2021 Mauritania updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and formulated action plans for nine key sectors, including energy, water, agriculture, and housing.
  - The authorities have recently included contingency reserves provisions in the annual budget to respond to natural disasters.
- Financial and technical support: Assessment undertaken with financial support of the Governments of Germany and Japan and benefitted from World Bank advice.

### Summary of Findings
- Overall PIM institutional changes since 2020:
  - Strengthening of public investment management (PIM) institutions relative to the 2020 PIMA, but gaps remain.
  - Since early 2023, a budgetary rule on the primary balance excluding resources (SPHR) was implemented to consolidate current expenditure and gradually reduce public debt to 55% of GDP while preserving capital expenditure.
  - Screening and selection of projects have become more objective and data driven under a technical inter-ministerial committee called the CAPIP.
  - A modernized legal framework for public procurement now separates awarding, controlling, and regulating public contracts, rationalizes and simplifies key processes, and introduces risk-based audits.
- Remaining weaknesses in PIM:
  - Domestically funded projects are not systematically appraised.
  - Project selection criteria are still not clearly spelled out.
  - Ex-post evaluation of performance is rarely undertaken.
- Climate integration (CPIMA-specific findings):
  - Progress on planning: comprehensive action plans aligned with the NDC and the National Development Plan exist for nine key sectors.
  - Initiatives underway: strategy for the power sector, urban planning and construction codes, national strategy for disaster risk management.
  - Gaps in fully embedding climate considerations into PIM:
    - Existing planning and building regulations lack full climate integration.
    - Weak coordination mechanisms for decision-making between central government, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and local governments.
    - Absence of criteria to assess and select investment projects based on climate adaptation and mitigation impact.
    - Insufficient monitoring and auditing of climate-related investments.
    - Absence of a policy on maintenance spending that reflects the impact of climate change.

### Main Recommendations
- Priority reforms (three main recommendations from the CPIMA):
  1. Strengthen mechanisms for appraisal and selection of investment projects, including incorporating mandatory climate change impact assessments and corresponding selection criteria to promote "green" investment.
  2. Introduce climate-sensitive budget markers and devise a green budgeting approach to enhance transparency, encourage green spending, and attract external financing.
  3. Systematically identify, analyze and manage the main budgetary risks associated with climate change.
- Additional recommended actions:
  - Further integrate NDC action plans into national, regional, local and sectoral strategies to provide clearer public policy focus and involve local authorities and SOEs more.
  - Leverage existing work on the inventory of public assets and ongoing ministry reflections to identify infrastructures at risk and develop a maintenance policy adapted to climate impacts.

### Legal and Institutional Pathways
- Suggested legal amendments and extensions to institutional frameworks:
  - Amend the 2016 PIM decree.
  - Amend the 1990 SOE Governance Code.
  - Amend the 2007 Housing Code, the Construction Code, and the Water Code.
  - Extend the scope of environmental impact assessments (EIA) to include climate change considerations in PIM and public-private partnership (PPP) legislation.
  - Adopt a specific law on climate change to provide clear guidelines, transpose international commitments into national law, and define deadlines, roles, and responsibilities for all involved parties.

### Key Figures and References from the Assessment
- 19 to 27 June 2023 (mission dates).
- 2020 (date of previous PIMA).
- 90% (territory covered by the Sahara).
- 0.5% (arable land).
- $10.6 billion (estimated adaptation costs over 2021–2030).
- 2021 (year NDC updated).
- 2050 (net-zero carbon emissions target).
- 55% of GDP (public debt target under SPHR).
- 2016 (PIM decree referenced).
- 1990 (SOE Governance Code referenced).
- 2007 (Housing Code referenced).

*High-Level Summary Technical Assistance Report — Islamic Republic of Mauritania: Climate Public Investment Management Assessment, November 2023.*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/hls/2023/english/hlsea2023017.pdf_