## EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (_cr11252) ## Source details **Canonical URL:** [EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (_cr11252)](https://www.imf.org/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2011/_cr11252.pdf) ## Other formats - [Markdown version](/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2011/_cr11252.pdf.md) - [Structured JSON version](/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2011/_cr11252.pdf.json) --- ### Overview - Document scope: Post Implementation Review of PRSP 2006-2010 and PRSP III Action Plan 2011-2015. - Volumes: VOLUME I and VOLUME II. - Key timeframes: 2006-2010 (implementation review); 2011-2015 (action plan). - Structural layout: Introduction; CHAPTER 1 (poverty survey); CHAPTER 2 (PRSP 2006-2010 implementation review); VOLUME II analytical summary, strategic vision to 2015, and PRSP III Action Plan (2011-2015). - Ancillary materials: ANNEX 1, ANNEX 2, ANNEX 3 in VOLUME I; ANNEX 1 (matrix of PRSP 2011-2015 monitoring indicators) in VOLUME II. ### Poverty profile and trends (2000–2008) - Incidence and composition: - Incidence of poverty in 2008: 42 percent. - Extreme poverty in 2008: 25.9 percent. - Target for 2015: 25 percent. - Poor people in absolute numbers: 1,319,566 in 2004 and 1,328,182 in 2008. - Thresholds (UM per capita per annum): - 1990: Poverty threshold 32 800; Extreme poverty 24 400 - 1996: Poverty threshold 58 400; Extreme poverty 43 450 - 2000: Poverty threshold 72 600; Extreme poverty 54 000 - 2004: Poverty threshold 94 650; Extreme poverty 70 400 - 2008: Poverty threshold 129 000; Extreme poverty 96 000 - Spatial and group differentials: - Poverty incidence by area: rural 59.4 percent; urban 20.8 percent. - Rural areas constitute 77.7 percent of the country’s poor. - Very poor wilayas (rate over 60 percent): Tagant, Gorgol, Brakna - Share of poor households: 2004: 39 percent → 2008: 35.1 percent - Gini Index: 2004: 39 percent → 2008: 38 percent - Socioeconomic breakdown: - Households led by self-employed farmers: incidence around 70 percent. - Female-headed households: 40.3 percent; Male-headed households: 42.6 percent. - Trends and drivers: - Pace of poverty reduction increased by over one percentage point per year over 2004-2008. - Redistribution effect 2004–2008: unfavorable contribution to worsening poverty in absolute terms: 1.5 percent; impact of economic growth on poverty reduction: 3.1 percent. - Perceived poverty levels: 2000: 80.6 percent; 2004: 82.2 percent; 2008: 81.2 percent. ### Living conditions and social indicators (selected) - Education: - National GER at primary level 2008: 90.9 percent (EPCV 2004: 76.7 percent). - Enrolment: 2005/2006: 465 887 pupils → 2008/2009: 512 998 pupils. - GER at basic level: 2006: 96.9 percent; 2009: 99 percent. - Retention rate: approximately 61 percent complete primary education. - Literacy (adults 15+): - 2004: 57.5 percent → 2008: 61.5 percent. - By gender: men 70.3 percent; women 54.4 percent. - Health and nutrition: - Morbidity rate: 2004: 6.4 percent → 2008: 7.8 percent. - Fully immunized children (12–23 months): 68.8 percent. - Prenatal care coverage: 2004: 80.2 percent → 2008: 87.4 percent. - Births assisted by skilled attendant: 2004: 56.5 percent → 2008: 60.2 percent. - Chronic malnutrition (under 5): 2004: 40.3 percent → 2008: 40.1 percent. - Severe malnutrition: 2004: 12.2 percent → 2008: 15.6 percent. - Underweight children: 30.2 percent → 39.4 percent. - Water, housing, energy: - Access to safe drinking water: 2004: 52 percent → 2008: 58.3 percent. - Homes without lavatories: 2004: 48 percent → 2008: 45.7 percent. - Lighting (2008): torches 51 percent; electricity 30.6 percent. - Cooking energy (2008): butane gas 37 percent; firewood gathered 33 percent. ### Macroeconomic performance 2006–2010 (PRSP II vs. achievement) - Growth: - PRSP II forecast average GDP growth rate 2006-2010: 9,4% → Achievement (including oil) 4,0%; non-oil growth achievement 3,7%. - Average GDP growth rate 2006-2009: GDP at market price 3,7% (2010*: 5,0%; Average 2006-2010: 4,0%). - Non-oil economic growth average 2006–2009: 3.2 percent. - Inflation and fiscal: - Inflation rate in 2010: PRSP II Forecast 5% → Achievement 6.1%. - Average budget deficit (excluding grants) forecast 10% of non-oil GDP → Achievement 8.6%. - Current account deficit (excluding official transfers) forecast 6% of GDP → Achievement 14.4%. - External accounts: - Current account deficit for 2006-2009: USD 374.5 million (12.1 percent of average GDP). - Trade balance Average 2006-2009: -57,5 (units as in source table); Trade balance Average 2006-2010: -29,8. - Net services and revenues Average 2006-2009: -474,6; Average 2006-2010: -494,9. - Current transfers Average 2006-2009: 157,6; Average 2006-2010: 161,3. - Current balance Average 2006-2009: -374,5; Average 2006-2010: -363,3. - Fiscal execution and public expenditure: - Budget deficit excluding oil and grants (average 2006-2009): 60.3 billion UM, corresponding to 8.6 percent of nominal GDP excluding oil. - Including grants and oil revenues: 38 billion UM surplus per annum (due to MDRI debt relief 242.5 billion UM in 2006 and oil revenues). ### Sectoral outcomes and reforms (2006–2010) - Secondary sector: - Contributed 1.1 percentage points to growth for the period. - Forecast growth 2006-2009: 24.2 percent → Actual 4.9 percent. - Mining subsectors: copper average growth 150 percent (2007-2009); gold average growth 279 percent (2007-2009). - Primary (rural) sector: - Over 60 percent of population depends on primary sector; contributed 0.6 percentage point to overall growth for the period. - Cereal production averaged 151,000 metric tons annually, covering approximately 30 percent of cereal needs. - Extractive industries and oil: - Accession to EITI: September 25, 2005. - Establishment of the National Hydrocarbons Revenue Fund (FNRH) in 2006. - Seven exploratory wells drilled between 2006 and 2010 in the coastal basin. - Financial sector: - Central Bank key rate lowered from 14 percent to 12 percent in October 2007, and from 12 percent to 9 percent in November 2009. - Ordinance N° 2007-020 of March 13, 2007 on credit institutions adopted. - Microfinance: users from 94,000 in 2004 to 185,000 in 2009; stock of credit from 7.41 billion ouguiyas in 2006 to 18.9 billion ouguiyas by end-December 2009. ### Governance, institutions, and public management reforms - Rule of law and human rights: - Return to constitutional legitimacy; separation of powers; Law N° 2007-048 of September 3, 2007 outlawing slavery. - Public finance management: - Launch of MTEF; adoption of Government Procurement Code (2010); PEFA conducted in 2008. - Reforms to payroll and allowances initiated; head count of government officials implemented. - Decentralization and land-use: - “Decentralization and Local Development Policy Declaration” adopted April 22, 2010. - Framework law on land use planning adopted; interim programs launched (Karakoro basin). - Monitoring & evaluation weaknesses in PRSP II: - Of 253 PRSP indicators, only 38 percent filled for the 2004 reference year. - Causes: weak statistical system, low departmental M&E capacity, frequent institutional changes, lack of ownership, and indicator overload. ### PRSP III (2011-2015) — Strategic vision and priority objectives - Vision for 2015: modern, decentralized, politically stable Mauritania with broad access to rule of law, education, health, food, water, and environment. - Five strategic pillars: 1. Accelerate economic growth and macro stabilization. 2. Anchor growth in poor areas and sectors (rural development, food security, microfinance, social protection). 3. Human resources development and universal basic services. 4. Promote good governance and capacity building. 5. Strengthen steering, coordination, monitoring/evaluation. - Priority objectives and exact targets: - Reduce incidence of poverty to 25 percent, and rural poverty to 35 percent. - Raise per capita GDP to over USD 1374. - Raise the GDP growth rate to 4.7 percent. - Raise the investment rate to 28.1 percent of GDP. - Contain the inflation rate at 5 percent. - Universal access to quality primary education for a minimum period of 9 years and reduce adult illiteracy (15+) to 15 percent. - Provide 100-percent health coverage within a 5 km radius. - Reduce the infant mortality rate to 40 percent; infant-juvenile mortality to 55 percent; maternal mortality to less than 300 per 100,000. - Reverse HIV/AIDS prevalence to no more than 1 percent. - Raise rate of pipe-borne water hookups to 74 percent (rural and urban). ### PRSP III cost, financing, and public/private breakdown (exact figures) - Overall cost: UM 2,549,212.84 million, or USD 9,242.98 million (1 USD = UM 275.8). - Financing plan (UM): - PIP (public): 1 709 948,04 - PPP (private): 839 264,80 - Total: 2 549 212,84 - Financing obtained vs. required: - Financing obtained: public 696 172,79 ; private 112 240,00 ; total 808 412,79 — 32% - Financing required: public 1 013 775,25 ; private 727 024,80 ; total 1 740 800,05 — 68% - Public/private breakdown: 67% / 33% ### PRSP III macro and medium-term projections (2011-2015) - Growth and inflation: - Projected average annual GDP growth 2011-2015: 5.8 percent (conservative profile); government 2011-2013 objective average 5.8 percent. - Inflation containment target: 5 percent per year. - Sectoral contributions (2011-2015 averages and yearly profile): - Rural (primary) sector contribution 2011-2015: 0,7 (table values: Primary Sector 2011–2015: 0,7). - Secondary sector contribution 2011-2015: 2,0. - Tertiary sector contribution 2011-2015: 2,4. - GDP at market prices: 2011: 5,2; 2012: 5,2; 2013: 6,2; 2014: 7,8; 2015: 4,7; 2011-2015: 5,8. - External sector: - Merchandise trade balance projected surplus 2011-2015: 163.7 (average); Current account deficit 2011-2015: -253.4 (average). - Exports projected to rise from USD 1,569 million to USD 2,297 million average between periods. - Public finances: - Revenue (including oil and grants) 2011-2015 average: 274.4 (table units as in source). - Overall balance excluding oil and grants 2011-2015: -45.5 (in percent of nonoil GDP average -3.9 percent). - Investment spending: about UM 89 billion per year over 2011-2015 versus UM 61 billion between 2006 and 2010. - Sixty-four percent of investment spending over 2011-2015 to be financed with domestic resources. ### Monitoring, evaluation, and institutional reforms for PRSP III - M&E redesign principles: - Reduce the number of indicators, use available indicators, ensure baselines and 2015 targets, and draw up an evolving matrix. - Indicator counts and types: - Impact indicators: 30 (19 MDG; 6 poverty profile; 5 macro). - Output indicators: 28. - Performance indicators: 13. - Input indicators: 3. - Initial tracking matrix: 74 indicators (only those meeting SMART criteria to be used). - Reporting tools and data system: - MAED to prepare a datasheet for each indicator with methodology and executing agencies. - Reporting instruments: input tables (monthly/quarterly/annual), quarterly sectoral indicators, biannual executive summaries, annual PRSP implementation report, impact assessments scheduled 2013 and 2015. - Planned surveys and censuses: - EPCV in 2012; “1 2 3” informal sector survey; employment survey in 2012; annual food security, business, and agricultural surveys; MICS in 2011 and 2015. - RGPH (General Population and Housing Census) in 2011; agro-pastoral census in 2013. ### Key monitoring indicators and 2015 targets (selected exact values) - Poverty and MDGs: - Incidence of poverty: Baseline 2004 46.70 %; Current status 2008 42%; Target 2015 25% - Share of poorest quintile in national consumption: Baseline 2004 6.7%; Current 2008 6.30%; Target 2015 >10% - Extreme poverty index: Baseline 2004 28.80%; Current 2008 26.80%; Target 2015 16% - Number of poor people (in thousands): Baseline 2004 1 320; Current 2008 1 284; Target 2015 924 - Human development and services: - GDP per capita in USD: Baseline 2004 542; Current 2009 940; Target 2015 1 374 - Net rate of enrollment in primary school (TNS): Baseline 2004 40. 2%; Current 2009 73%; Target 2015 85% - Adult illiteracy rates (ages 15+): Baseline 2004 42.50%; Current 2008 38.50%; Target 2015 15% - Proportion of population with access to safe drinking water (rural and semi-urban): Baseline 2004 52%; Current 2008 62%; Target 2015 74% - Proportion of households with access to improved sanitation: Baseline 2004 19.7%; Current 2008 21.8%; Target 2015 70% - Health and mortality: - Infant mortality rate (per mil): Baseline 2000 87; Current 2007 77; Target 2015 40 - Maternal mortality rate (per 100.000): Baseline 2000 747; Current 2007 686; Target 2015 300 - Infrastructure and governance outputs: - Status of major projects (2010 baseline 0% → Target 2015 100%): Nouakchott sanitation project; water supply system in Nouakchott; Université de Nouakchott campus; Nouakchott-Rosso road; Atar-Tidjikja road; Nouakchott power plant; Nouadhibou wind farm. - Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament: Baseline 2004 2%; Current 2008 18%; Target 2015 35% ### Main lessons learned from PRSP II (2006-2010) — achievements and weaknesses (selected) - Achievements (selected): - Progress in public finance: MTEF prepared; deconcentration measures; tax administration improvements; EITI implementation. - Social and infrastructure gains: education primary-level advances; water and urban upgrading; SOMELEC investments and electrification; slum restructuring pilot successes. - Institutional/legal reforms: Government Procurement Code, mining law (2008/2009), hydrocarbons law, Ordinance N° 2007-020. - Weaknesses (exactly as identified): - Failure to align programming tools (PIP, MTEF, LFI) with PRSP guidelines. - Shortcomings in statistical information system and insufficient planning, monitoring, and evaluation capacity. - Lack of ownership by sectoral departments; low absorption capacity; absence of results-based management. - Overestimation of oil prospects leading to inappropriate public finance decisions. - Low participation of beneficiaries, overlap of projects, and weak coordination between central and regional units. *Source: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — _cr11252 (PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review and PRSP III Action Plan 2011-2015).* ### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... ### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ### Overview - Document scope: Post Implementation Review of PRSP 2006-2010 and PRSP III Action Plan 2011-2015. - Volumes: VOLUME I and VOLUME II. - Key timeframes: 2006-2010 (implementation review); 2011-2015 (action plan). - Structural layout: Introduction; CHAPTER 1 (poverty survey); CHAPTER 2 (PRSP 2006-2010 implementation review); VOLUME II analytical summary, strategic vision to 2015, and PRSP III Action Plan (2011-2015). - Ancillary materials: ANNEX 1, ANNEX 2, ANNEX 3 in VOLUME I; ANNEX 1 (matrix of PRSP 2011-2015 monitoring indicators) in VOLUME II. ### CHAPTER 1: Poverty in Mauritania — Survey (VOLUME I) - Main themes: - PROFILE AND PATTERNS OF POVERTY - a. Income Poverty - b. The decline in poverty - c. Spatial differentiation of poverty - d. Breakdown by socioeconomic group and gender - e. Poverty in terms of living conditions - MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCING POVERTY - Figure referenced: Figure 1.1 : Poverty incidence rate. - Boxes referenced: Box: 1.1 : Poverty patterns 2004-2008. ### CHAPTER 2: PRSP 2006-2010 Implementation Review (VOLUME I) - Organized by five focus areas: - FOCUS AREA 1 — ACCELERATION OF GROWTH AND STABILIZATION OF THE MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK - a. Macroeconomic objectives and changes in the main aggregates - b. Macroeconomic policies for sustainable equilibria - c. Maximization of the benefits of oil - d. Fast-tracking financial sector reform - e. Improving the business climate and promoting SMEs - f. Maximizing growth potentials in sectoral policies - g. Strengthening the economic role of infrastructure - FOCUS AREA 2 — ANCHOR GROWTH IN THE ECONOMIC SPHERE DIRECTLY BENEFITTING THE POOR - a. Rural development - b. Urban development - c. Promoting microfinance and microenterprises - d. Food security - e. Targeted poverty reduction programs - FOCUS AREA 3 — HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF BASIC SERVICES - a. Education - b. Literacy and traditional education - c. Technical and vocational training - d. Health and nutrition - e. Water and sanitation - f. Employment - g. Population policy - h. Culture, youth, and sports - i. Promoting women and gender equality - j. Child welfare policy - k. Social protection - FOCUS AREA 4 — IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND BUILDING CAPACITY - a. Strengthening the rule of law - b. Improving environmental governance - c. Building public administration capacity - d. Efficient and transparent management of public resources - e. Decentralization - f. Building capacity for civil society - g. Promoting communication - h. Promoting a participatory approach - FOCUS AREA 5 — STRONGER LEADERSHIP, MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND COORDINATION - a. Institutional mechanism - b. The monitoring and evaluation system - c. Reporting tools - d. Coordination - e. Making the PRSP operational - MDGs: THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS - STATE OF PLAY - Annexes: - ANNEX 1: SUMMARY TABLE OF THE MAIN REFORMS IMPLEMENTED IN THE PERIOD 2006-2010 - ANNEX 2: PUBLIC INVESTMENT AND FINANCING PROGRAM BY SECTOR 2006–2010 - ANNEX 3: PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING THE MDGS: TRACKING THE MDGS IN MAURITANIA (1990- 2010) - Boxes in CHAPTER 2 referenced: - Box: 2.1 : The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) - Box: 2.2 : Slum upgrading in the major cities - Box: 2.3 : Microfinance: a customized legal and regulatory framework - Box: 2.4 : Early childhood welfare - Box: 2.5 : The MDGs: the health challenges ### VOLUME II: PRSP III Action Plan (2011-2015) - Preface and analytical summary followed by introduction. - CHAPTER 1: 2015 STRATEGIC VISION AND CHOICES WITH A VIEW TO 2015 - A. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRSP II (2006- 2010) - a. Achievements - b. Weaknesses - c. Opportunities - d. Obstacles - B. OVERVIEW - C. THE STRATEGIC PILLARS - D. OVERALL OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE - E. OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITY AREAS FOR 2011-2015 - F. COST, FINANCING, AND PARTNERSHIPS - G. RISK ANALYSIS AND RISK REDUCTION MEASURES - VOLUME II: PRSP III ACTION PLAN (2011-2015) — Pillars and focal areas: - PILLAR 1 — ACCELERATION OF GROWTH AND STABILIZATION OF THE MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK - a. Stable and sound macroeconomic framework - b. Furthering structural reform - c. Development of growth-supporting infrastructures - d. Optimum use of the sources of growth - PILLAR 2 — ANCHORING GROWTH IN THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE POOR - b. Rural development - c. National food security policy - d. Urban development - e. Microfinance and microenterprise - f. Economic valuation of natural capital - g. Social protection - PILLAR 3 — HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF BASIC SERVICES - a. Education and training - b. Health and nutrition - c. Employment - d. Access to water in rural areas - e. Gender, childhood, and population policies - f. Culture, youth and sport - g. Universal access to basic services - PILLAR 4 — PROMOTING GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING - a. Improving political and democratic governance - b. Strengthening the justice system and the judiciary - c. Territorial and local governance - d. Economic governance - e. Environmental governance - f. Greater public scrutiny of government action - a. Communications sector development - g. National capacity building for public sector stakeholders - h. Participatory approach: a committed approach to be sustained - PILLAR 5 — ENHANCED STEERING, COORDINATION, AND MONITORING/ EVALUATION OF THE PRSP III - a. Institutional optimization - b. Enhancing coordination, alignment, and harmonization - c. Operationalizing PRSP III monitoring and evaluation - Annex: ANNEX 1: MATRIX OF PRSP 2011-2015 MONITORING INDICATORS ### Instruments, tools, and analytical elements referenced - Public investment and financing program by sector: 2006–2010 (ANNEX 2). - MDG tracking and progress coverage for 1990-2010 (ANNEX 3). - Monitoring framework: matrix of PRSP 2011-2015 monitoring indicators (VOLUME II ANNEX 1). - Boxes addressing cross-cutting topics such as absorptive capacity (Box: 1.1), Public-Private Partnership (Box: 1.2), and Social Protection outlook (Box: 2.1). *Executive Summary — _cr11252 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review and PRSP III Action Plan 2011-2015).* ### Box 2.2 : The PRSP: Towards Greater Gender Inclusiveness .............................................................. ### Box 2.2 : The PRSP: Towards Greater Gender Inclusiveness ### Location in document - Listed in the source document table of contents as: "Box 2.2 : The PRSP: Towards Greater Gender Inclusiveness" — page 131. ### Available content in the supplied extract - The supplied content includes the table of contents entry for Box 2.2 and extensive lists of acronyms and abbreviations from the PRSP volume. - No substantive text, findings, projections, analysis, or policy recommendations from Box 2.2 itself were included in the supplied extract. ### Consequence for analysis and extraction - No substantive bullets on findings, projections, scenarios, or policy recommendations can be produced from the supplied extract because the box’s full content is not present. - To generate a full summary of Box 2.2, the actual Box 2.2 text (page 131 and following) from the source PDF is required. *Source: _cr11252 - Box 2.2 : The PRSP: Towards Greater Gender Inclusiveness (table of contents and acronyms pages) — source PDF extract provided.* ### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ### PRSP overview and purpose - Mauritania prepared a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the period 2001-2015, adopted through framework law No. 050/2001 of July 25, 2001. - The PRSP: - Is based on a broadly participatory process and serves as the policy framework for the country’s economic and social policies. - Is the sole medium-term frame of reference for economic and social development policy. - Is the main benchmark for all technical and financial partners (TFPs) in their support to the country. - Is the basic tool for mobilizing resources for development financing. - PRSP strategic focus areas (original four): - (i) accelerate economic growth and stabilize the macroeconomic framework; - (ii) anchor growth in the economic sphere directly benefiting the poor; - (iii) ensure the development of human resources and expansion of basic services; - (iv) improve governance and build capacity. - A fifth cross-cutting focus area was introduced for 2006-2010 to strengthen leadership, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination. ### Implementation and monitoring - PRSP implementation began with a first four-year action plan (2001-2004) and continued with a second five-year action plan (2006-2010). - Initial monitoring and evaluation system limitations: - Not based—apart from general guidelines—on a reference document clearly establishing a framework for monitoring and evaluation activities (reporting lines, information and reporting procedures, monitoring and evaluation standards, etc.). - Mostly restricted to preparation of the annual implementation report (RMO). - Participatory monitoring procedures used: - Technical Thematic Groups (TTGs); - Consultation committees (government–civil society–private sector; government–donors); - Inter-regional workshops and national consultative assemblies on PRSP implementation. - First action plans were revised using new drafting and monitoring and evaluation methodology, leading to preparation of the second five-year action plan (2006-2010). ### Context for PRSP revision (toward third action plan) - Factors framing revision and preparation of the third action plan (2011-2015) included: - (i) another edition of the Rolling Survey on Living Conditions of households (EPCV) following the 2008 EPCV, revealing poverty profile and patterns through basic indicators (impact, depth, severity of poverty); - (ii) return to constitutional rule with the free and transparent election on July 18, 2009, of a new President; - (iii) strong mobilization of partners around Mauritania’s priorities at the round table in Brussels on June 22, 2010; - (vi) organization in New York of a global summit on the millennium development goals, ten years after the Millennium Declaration. ### Legacy and achievements under PRSP II (2006-2010) - Poverty and social indicators: - The 2008 EPCV showed the incidence of poverty was 42 percent (noted as much lower than in 2004, cited as 45.7 percent in one place and 46.7 percent in another). - Target for 2015 is 25 percent. - The pace of poverty reduction increased by over one percentage point per year over 2004-2008. - In absolute numbers, poor people: 1,319,566 in 2004 and 1,328,182 in 2008 (growth driven mainly by population growth). - Economic growth: - Over 2006-2010, non-oil economic growth was 3.7 percent. - Economic growth including oil revenues was 4 percent, about half the 9.4 percent forecast. - Shortfall attributed to: (i) weak performance of the oil sector; (ii) international food, energy, and financial crises; (iii) institutional changes during the period. - A great deal of recent achievements were financed from the central government’s own resources, particularly infrastructure and basic services for the poor. - Social sector advances: - Notable progress in education, water, urban development, gender equity, and universal access to basic services. - Governance advances: - (i) return to constitutional legitimacy; - (ii) separation of executive, legislative, and judiciary powers; - (iii) guarantee of basic, individual, and collective freedoms; - Progress in promoting human rights and settling humanitarian issues, including: organized return of repatriated people and enjoyment of full rights; criminalization of slavery-like practices; official recognition and compensation of victims for certain humanitarian issues. - Institutional and planning advances: - Alignment of sectoral policies and strategies with PRSP strategic objectives and preparation of three-year action plans. - Preparation of a comprehensive Medium-term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). - Coordination of Official Development Assistance in line with the Paris Declaration. - Adoption of a participatory and iterative approach to PRSP preparation and implementation. ### Main weaknesses in PRSP implementation - Technical and institutional weaknesses identified: - (i) weaknesses in planning, monitoring, and evaluation capacity in departments due to shortcomings in the statistical information system; - (ii) weakness in mobilizing programmed financial resources because of low absorption capacity; - (iii) absence of a results-based management framework; - (iv) lack of ownership of the PRSP process by sectoral departments; - (v) low level of implementation of programmed actions and measures and implementation of unplanned actions; - (vi) lack of coordination among central and regional government staff; - (vii) low involvement of local authorities in drafting regional strategies; - (viii) low participation of beneficiaries in projects designed for them; - (ix) overlapping of projects in some locations and failure to seek synergies among interventions. ### Poverty profile and patterns (based on 2008 EPCV) - General observations from the 2008 EPCV and follow-up poverty survey: - Incidence of poverty in 2008: 42 percent. - Data reveal less inequality in income measured by the Gini Index. - Poverty remains primarily rural but is increasing in urban areas due to population exodus and rapid urbanization creating new pockets of urban poverty. - Poverty by household head gender: slightly lower among female heads of household (40.3 percent) than male heads of household (42.6 percent). - Self-employed farmers remain among the worst affected socio-economic groups, with an incidence around 70 percent. - Income poverty definitions and thresholds: - Poverty threshold used for EPCV: World Bank’s 1 dollar per person per day at 1985 constant prices. - Extreme poverty threshold corresponds to consumption of 270 dollars per capita per annum. - Table 1.1 — Updated poverty thresholds in UM per capita per annum: - 1990: Poverty threshold 32 800; Extreme poverty 24 400 - 1996: Poverty threshold 58 400; Extreme poverty 43 450 - 2000: Poverty threshold 72 600; Extreme poverty 54 000 - 2004: Poverty threshold 94 650; Extreme poverty 70 400 - 2008: Poverty threshold 129 000; Extreme poverty 96 000 - Trends in poverty and extreme poverty: - In 2008, 42 percent lived beneath the poverty line; 25.9 percent lived in extreme poverty. - Poverty declined compared to 2004 (reported as 46.7 percent in one passage and 45.7 percent in another). - Share of poor households fell from 39 percent in 2004 to 35.1 percent in 2008. - Extreme poverty fell from 28.8 percent in 2004 to 25.9 percent in 2008 (a drop of almost 3 percentage points over the period). - The rate of change in percentage terms between area covered and extreme poverty from 2004 to 2008 is noted as 11.9 percent. - Perceived poverty levels: 80.6 percent (2000), 82.2 percent (2004), and 81.2 percent (2008). - In 2008, 56.5 percent of heads of household thought their neighborhood or village was poor (50 percent in 2004; 43.3 percent in 2000). - Spatial differentiation: - Poverty incidence by area: rural 59.4 percent; urban 20.8 percent. - Rural areas constitute 77.7 percent of the country’s poor. - Seven of 13 wilayas had poverty prevalence rates over 55 percent. - Classification of wilayas by poverty incidence: - Very poor wilayas (rate over 60 percent): Tagant, Gorgol, Brakna - Fairly poor wilayas (55 percent to 60 percent): Hodh El Charghi, Adrar, Guidimagha, Assaba - Wilayas with rates between 30 percent and 50 percent: Hodh El Gharbi, Trarza, Inchiri - Wilayas with rate below 20 percent: Nouadhibou, Tiris-Zemmour, Nouakchott - Areas most affected include l’Aftout, Tagant, Brakna, and the moughataa of Ouadane (Adrar) with poverty incidence rates over 70 percent. - Incidence of poverty in the 11 most affected moughataa is over 50 percent. *Source: _cr11252 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY* ### 1.12 Significant gaps can also be observed among the urban population. The incidence of ### _cr11252 - 1.12 Significant gaps can also be observed among the urban population. The incidence of ### Urban and rural poverty patterns (2000–2008) - Poverty remains primarily a rural phenomenon: in 2008, almost 6 in 10 persons living in rural areas lived beneath the poverty line. - Incidence of poverty in rural areas: - 2004: 59% - 2008: 59.4% (a rise of 0.4%) - Depth and severity of rural poverty: - Depth: 2004: 20.6% → 2008: 22.3% - Severity: 2004: 9.6% → 2008: 11.1% - Urban poverty trends: - 2004: 28.9% → 2008: 20.8% (an 8-point drop) - Nouakchott: incidence 15.6 percent (less high than other cities at 29.7 percent) - Significant urban improvements noted in Nouakchott, Zouerate, and Akjoujt - Regional (wilaya) changes between 2004 and 2008: - Poverty increases: Adrar (+18 percentage points in one passage; elsewhere Adrar reported +11.7%), Assaba (+12 percentage points in one passage; elsewhere l’Assaba +15.1%), Hodh El Charghi (+8 percentage points; elsewhere Hodh El Chargui +8.3%) - Notable poverty drops: Inchiri (-19 points), Trarza (-15 points), Tiris-Zemmour (-13 points), Nouakchott (-10 points) ### Breakdown by socioeconomic group, household type, and gender - By socioeconomic group (2004–2008): - Households led by self-employed farmers: incidence of poverty 70 percent (worst affected), despite a significant drop over 2004-2008 - Public sector employees: poverty rate about 22 percent (least affected) - By gender of household head: - Female-headed households: 40.3 percent incidence of poverty - Male-headed households: 42.6 percent incidence of poverty - By household classification (Table 1.2: Breakdown of the poor population by household type): - Single individual: Poor 0.2, Non poor 0.9, Overall 0.6 - Couple without children: Poor 0.4, Non poor 2.2, Overall 1.4 - Couple with children: Poor 45.6, Non poor 41.7, Overall 43.4 - Nuclear single parent: Poor 13.7, Non poor 15, Overall 14.4 - Extended single parent: Poor 10.2, Non poor 11, Overall 10.7 - Extended family: Poor 29.9, Non poor 29.1, Overall 29.5 - Total: Poor 100, Non poor 100, Overall 100 - Household types with high incidence: - “Couple with children”: over 44 percent incidence - “Couple without children”: 11 percent incidence - One-person households: 13.1 percent incidence ### Living conditions: education, health, water, housing, energy (2004–2008) - Primary education (GER at primary level, EPCV 2008): - National GER 2008: 90.9 percent (EPCV 2004: 76.7 percent; MICS: 82.3 percent) - By gender: girls 93.5 percent; boys 88 percent - By residence: rural 79.6 percent; urban 108.5 percent - By quintile: poorest (1st) 72.4 percent; richest (5th) 106.6 percent - Secondary education (GER): - 2004: 29.6 percent → 2008: 30.5 percent - By gender: boys 32.7 percent; girls 28.4 percent - By residence: urban 53.5 percent; rural 12.8 percent - Literacy (adults 15+): - 2004: 57.5 percent → 2008: 61.5 percent - By residence: urban 73.3 percent; rural 50.3 percent - By gender: men 70.3 percent; women 54.4 percent - By wilaya: Guidimagha 27.3 percent; Tiris-Zemmour 81 percent - By poverty status: non-poor 70.6 percent; poor 46 percent - Health: - Morbidity rate: 2004: 6.4 percent → 2008: 7.8 percent - By residence: rural 8.2 percent; urban 7.3 percent - Fully immunized children (12–23 months): 68.8 percent (boys 69.3 percent; girls 68.3 percent) - Prenatal care coverage: 2004: 80.2 percent → 2008: 87.4 percent (poor 76.6 percent; non-poor 94.6 percent) - Births assisted by skilled attendant: 2004: 56.5 percent → 2008: 60.2 percent (poor 27.4 percent; richer 92 percent) - Physical accessibility to health services: 40.3 percent of population can access a health center within 30 minutes; 67.3 percent live within a 5-km radius of a health facility - Child malnutrition (under 5): - Chronic malnutrition: 2004: 40.3 percent → 2008: 40.1 percent - Severe malnutrition: 2004: 12.2 percent → 2008: 15.6 percent - Underweight children: 30.2 percent → 39.4 percent over same period - Access to safe drinking water: - 2004: 52 percent → 2008: 58.3 percent - Main sources 2008: water vendors 24.4 percent; indoor plumbing 21 percent - By standard of living: poor households with access 30 percent; richer households 87 percent - By wilaya grouping: - Indoor plumbing dominant: Trarza 51.7 percent; l’Inchiri 48.4 percent; Dakhlet-Nouadhibou 39.5 percent - Cisterns primary source: Adrar 33.5 percent; Tiris Zemmour 83 percent - Nouakchott: water vendors primary source 74.4 percent - Housing and utilities: - Types of dwelling 2008: substandard dwellings 32.5 percent (2004: 33 percent); houses 67.5 percent (2004: 67 percent) - Home ownership 2008: 74 percent (2004: 77,2 percent) - Tenants 2008: almost 12 percent - Households becoming homeowners (Gazra) 2008: 7,5 percent - Lighting (2008): torches 51 percent; electricity 30.6 percent (2004: torches 51 percent; electricity 24 percent) - Rural: 4 in 5 households use torches - Urban: electricity used by over 70 percent - Cooking energy (2008): butane gas 37 percent (2004: 35 percent); firewood gathered 33 percent - Rural: firewood 56.6 percent; gas 18.6 percent - Urban: gas 61.6 percent; wood charcoal 31 percent - Homes without lavatories: 2008: 45.7 percent (2004: 48 percent) ### Main factors influencing poverty and obstacles to reduction - Structural drivers cited: - Geo-natural factors: geographic position, natural resources - Demographic factors: high population growth rate - Institutional factors: economic policy management mode - 2008 EPCV observations: - Decline in poverty over 2006-2009 may be partly explained by execution of major investment projects in infrastructure and social sectors. - More redistributive policies could have reduced poverty more significantly. - Levels of education, literacy, and technical/professional training are major determinants of household standard of living. - Decomposition of changes (2004–2008): - Redistribution effect contributed to worsening poverty in absolute terms: 1.5 percent (unfavorable to poorer segments) - Impact of economic growth on poverty reduction: 3.1 percent - Gini index: 2004: 39 percent → 2008: 38 percent (drop) - Other factors hampering poverty reduction: - Inflation rise undermining purchasing power, especially for poorer households - Rural-specific: near-total dependence on agropastoral activities (climatic dependence); lack of water resources; lack of access to land for the poor; isolated production areas and absence of marketing infrastructure - Urban-specific: uncontrolled sedentarisation; lack of economic development opportunities; lack of access for the poor to basic social services and suitable financial services; general substandard living conditions in outlying areas - Overall poverty level: - 2008: 42 percent of population living below the poverty threshold ### Macroeconomic objectives and performance (PRSP II targets vs. achievements 2006-2010) - Government objectives for 2006-2010: - Average GDP growth rate 2006-2010: 9,4% - Inflation: under 5 percent by 2010 - Average budget deficit (excluding grants) ~10 percent of non-oil GDP annually - Current account deficit excluding official transfers by 2010: 6 percent of GDP - Foreign currency reserves: 3.7 months of imports by end of period - Achievement table (Table 2.1): - Average GDP growth rate 2006-2010: PRSP II Forecast 9,4% → Achievement 3,7% - Average budget deficit (excluding grants) (in % of non-oil GDP): PRSP II Forecast 10% → Achievement 8.6% - Current account deficit (excluding official transfers) (in % of GDP): PRSP II Forecast 6% → Achievement 14.4% - Inflation rate in 2010: PRSP II Forecast 5% → Achievement 6.1% - Growth outcomes (2006–2009 averages and 2010 forecast), Table 2.2: - GDP at market price (average 2006-2009): 3,7%; 2010*: 5,0%; Average 2006-2010: 4,0% - GDP at market price excluding oil (average 2006-2009): 3,2%; 2010*: 5,6%; Average 2006-2010: 3,7% - Sector contributions (Average 2006-2009; 2010*; Average 2006-2010): - Rural: 3,3% ; 3,9% ; 3,4% - Secondary: 4,9% ; 6,4% ; 5,2% - Tertiary: 3,5% ; 4,4% ; 3,7% - Private services: 4,1% ; 6,5% ; 4,5% - Government agencies: 2,1% ; -0,9% ; 1,5% - Indirect taxes: 4,5% ; 6,6% ; 4,9% - Aggregate non-oil economic growth: - On average 2006–2009: non-oil growth 3.2 percent; including oil revenues: 3.7 percent - PRSP II forecast over same period: 10.7 percent (the realized growth was scarcely enough to reach a third of the forecast) - Growth drivers: - Growth was driven mainly by the tertiary sector (transport, telecommunications, commerce, restaurants and hotels, other private services), contributing 1.6 percent over the period or half of overall growth (3.7 percent), reflecting gradual tertiarization of the economy * _cr11252 - 1.12 Significant gaps can also be observed among the urban population. The incidence of_ ### 2.5 The secondary sector, despite its role as a driver of the growth achieved (it contributed ### 2.5 The secondary sector, despite its role as a driver of the growth achieved (it contributed ### Secondary sector performance - Contributed 1.1 percentage points to growth for the period. - Forecast growth for 2006-2009: 24.2 percent; actual growth: 4.9 percent. - 2006 increase: almost 33 percent, driven by an incipient oil industry. - 2007-2009 trend: -4.5 percent on average, due to: - oil sector below-par performance beginning in 2007; - poor performance of the construction and public works (BTP) sector, particularly in 2008 and 2009, following slowdown in execution of infrastructure projects because of dwindling external financial flows after various institutional changes. - Offsetting performances: - copper subsector growth: average 150 percent between 2007-2009; - gold subsector growth: average 279 percent between 2007-2009; - mining began in 2007 and 2008. ### Primary (rural) sector - Over 60 percent of the population depends on the primary sector. - Contributed 0.6 percentage point to overall growth for the period. - 2009 irrigated sector difficulties due in part to financing problems from high rate of non-performing loans at the National Union of Agricultural Savings and Loan Banks of Mauritania (UNCACEM). - Other constraints: rainfall deficit, deficiencies in irrigation system, infrastructure weaknesses, lack of inputs, technical and productive skills. - Low contribution also explained by lack of integration of livestock and fisheries subsectors into the economy. ### Inflation dynamics - Average inflation over 2006-2007: 6.7 percent annually (resulting from substantial rise in price of energy and imported food items). - Year-on-year inflation fell from 8.9 percent at end-2006 to 7.4 percent at end-December 2007. - Average annual inflation during 2008: 7.3 percent. - Year-on-year rate in 2008: 3.9 percent (drop of 3.5 percentage points compared to 2007). - Reasons: government measures to offset spike in staple prices; implementation of prudent monetary policy. - 2009 annual average inflation: 2.2 percent. ### Fiscal balances and public expenditures - Budget deficit excluding oil and grants (average 2006-2009): 60.3 billion UM, corresponding to 8.6 percent of nominal GDP excluding oil. - Including grants and oil revenues: balance would be a 38 billion UM surplus per annum over the period. - Reason: inclusion of debt relief under the MDRI in 2006 (242.5 billion UM) and oil revenues. - Public resource management actions taken: - deconcentration of the authorization process; - establishment of the RACHAD system; - introduction of the Annual Initial Budget Programming Document (DAPBI); - deconcentration of financial control; - drafting (still underway) of a budget nomenclature in line with the IMF’s government finance statistics manual. - Secondary authorization experimental since 2008 in the wilaya of Nouadhibou. - Regularization of payment authorization for armed forces and security forces, abandonment of military subauthorizations. - Main achievements in public expenditures and fiscal management: - revision in 2006 of public accounting regulations; - limits on procedures for expenditure waivers (MF order 2007); - drafting of several procedures manuals and auditing tools; - launch of a process of establishing accrual basis accounting; - inclusion of recurrent items in Ministries’ budgets (hemodialysis, non permanent staff (PNP), operation Ramadan...); - fewer in-kind expenditures in the form of transport and housing allowances in 2010. - Reforms under 2010 budget law: - restructuring (still underway) of the payroll based on head count to eliminate phantom employees and redundancies; - elimination of government water and electricity grants to employees, replaced with a lump-sum allowance for eligible government officials; - discontinuation of carrying fuel and vehicle maintenance expenses in the budget, replaced by a transportation allowance to all officials; - rescindment of all housing agreements starting July 1, 2010, and payment of a non-housing allowance to all officials. ### Monetary, credit, and exchange policies - Monetary policy easing to finance the economy: - Central Bank key rate (repurchase of treasury bills) lowered from 14 percent to 12 percent in October 2007, and from 12 percent to 9 percent in November 2009. - Institutional and operational reforms: - establishment of a Council for Monetary Policy (CPM) chaired by the governor of the BCM; - overhaul of operational framework with new regulations and a new procedures manual for the money market; - creation of new market intervention instruments: BCM bonds, Certificates of deposit, and treasury bills; - expansion of the money market to encompass all economic agents; - BCM bonds created to bolster operational independence of monetary policy; - establishment of a committee to coordinate monetary and fiscal policy. - Exchange policy actions: - external trade arrears cleared; - from October 2006, all restrictions on payments of current transactions were lifted; - establishment in January 2007 of a currencies market. ### External accounts and trade - Current account balance for the entire period: deficit of USD 374.5 million (12.1 percent of average GDP). - Deficit significantly higher than the trade balance due to significant deficit in services and revenues that transfers could not offset. - Imports of services and revenues averaged USD 719 million. - Trade balance (period 2006-2009): - overall deficit of almost USD 58 million; - excluding oil exports: deficit of USD 437 million. - Identified trends in trade balance: - 2006: low-key entry into service of the Chinguity oilfield boosted exports. - 2007-2009: deficits due to significant increase in imports and rise in food prices (purchase of large stocks following PSI); partially offset by first exports of gold and copper and favorable iron prices in 2007-2008. - 2009: strong reduction in deficit owing to drop in import bill (foodstuffs, domestic fuel and oil), even though exports declined. - Table 2.3 (external account 2006-2010) selected figures: - Trade balance 2006: 200 - Trade balance 2007: -193,71 - Trade balance 2008: -153,55 - Trade balance 2009: -82,81 - Trade balance Average 2006-2009: -57,5 - Trade balance 2010*: 81,3 - Trade balance Average 2006-2010: -29,8 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) 2006: -434,8 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) 2007: -532,4 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) 2008: -479,4 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) 2009: -300,8 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) Average 2006-2009: -436,8 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) 2010*: -122,5 - Trade balance (excl. oil production) Average 2006-2010: -374,0 - Net services and revenues 2006: -405,4 - Net services and revenues 2007: -465,7 - Net services and revenues 2008: -600,3 - Net services and revenues 2009: -426,9 - Net services and revenues Average 2006-2009: -474,6 - Net services and revenues 2010*: -576,1 - Net services and revenues Average 2006-2010: -494,9 - Current transfers 2006: 158,7 - Current transfers 2007: 144,3 - Current transfers 2008: 196,6 - Current transfers 2009: 130,8 - Current transfers Average 2006-2009: 157,6 - Current transfers 2010*: 176,3 - Current transfers Average 2006-2010: 161,3 - Current balance 2006: -46,7 - Current balance 2007: -515,2 - Current balance 2008: -557,3 - Current balance 2009: -378,9 - Current balance Average 2006-2009: -374,5 - Current balance 2010*: -318,4 - Current balance Average 2006-2010: -363,3 - *Forecast - Source reported as: Mauritanian authorities and IMF; September 2010 ### Transfers - Average level of transfers: USD 158 million. - Private transfers: practically stable at USD 69 million per annum. - Official transfers declined due to HIPC assistance reduction: USD 14.3 million in 2006 to USD 6 million in 2009. ### Maximization of oil benefits (PRSP II focus and achievements) - PRSP II action areas: (i) planned development of oil prospecting and production; (ii) monitoring production, costs, and contractual obligations; (iii) optimal management of oil revenues; (iv) preventing potential negative environmental effects; (v) taking subregional dimension into account. - Achievements in unprocessed hydrocarbons 2006-2010: - exploration of the coastal basin: 7 exploratory wells drilled between 2006 and 2010; - intensification of exploration in the Taoudéni basin since 2006 with several thousand kilometers of 2D seismic by Total and Repsol; - start of exploratory drilling by Total in the Ta8 block and a 3D seismic survey by Wintershall; - signing (under more favorable conditions for the government) of riders for extension of exploration periods of Petronal and Dana in offshore Block C6 in 2009 and Block 1 in 2010, respectively; - publication of figures for the oil subsector as part of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the national EITI commission report for the 2006 budget year; - establishment in 2006 of the National Hydrocarbons Revenue Fund (FNRH) and upgrade of its role to supervise oil revenue management on principles of transparency and good governance; - transformation of the SMH into a state-owned corporation with publicly funded capital to provide expertise for auditing and monitoring the oil industry. ### Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) box — key points - Mauritania acceded to EITI on September 25, 2005. - Objectives include transparency in tax revenues collected from oil, gas, and mining operations and public access to information. - Decree 2006-001 of January 13, 2006 established a National Council on Extractive Industry Transparency (CNTIE) with tasks including publication of revenues, recruiting an independent expert to reconcile payments, drafting an action plan, and ensuring civil society participation. - First National Report by Ernst and Young published March 2007 covers 2005 data; second report (2006) published July 2007 includes both mining and hydrocarbons. - Reports indicated mining and oil contributed over 80 percent of the country’s export revenues and over 38 percent of non-grant fiscal revenue. ### Financial sector reform - Government priority actions: (i) adoption of a new banking law; (ii) enterprise financial statement reliability with certified audits; (iii) setting up new banks preferably with reputable partners. - Achievements in banking sector and regulatory/institutional aspects: - organizational restructuring of the BCM; - setting up a clearinghouse at the BCM agency in Nouadhibou; - establishing a training institute for banking in Nouadhibou; - adoption of Ordinance N° 2007-020 of March 13, 2007 on regulations for credit institutions and main implementing provisions. *Source: Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review (extract)._cr11252 - 2.5 The secondary sector, despite its role as a driver of the growth achieved (it contributed* ### 2.23 Other steps were taken in the banking sector to: (i) institute an effective maximum ### Other steps were taken in the banking sector to: (i) institute an effective maximum global rate... ### Banking sector reforms and institutions - Instituted an effective maximum global rate to help improve access to financing from banks and eliminate possible abuse. - Created a deposit guarantee fund as part of the policy to strengthen the banking system. - Established an international audit of the banks. - Established an audit of the post office’s financial services. - Diversified the banking system by strengthening competition: - Approval for the opening of a branch of Qatar National Bank. - Opening of an Islamic bank under the auspices of the IDB. - Purchase of 60 percent of the corporate equity of BNP Mauritanie by a foreign operator. - Developed a Strategic Plan for the BCM to cover the period 2008-2012 to support and guide economic and financial development and ensure coherence among necessary reforms. ### Central bank measures to improve system performance and means of payment - Revised the regulatory framework and introduced disciplinary measures to ensure normal operation of the clearinghouse. - Conducted a study on standardization in the banking and financial sector to lay groundwork for a teleclearing system within a maximum of two years. - Adopted Ordinance 2006-031 on payment instruments and electronic commerce. - Adopted rules for interbank operations. - Developed and rolled out a security system meeting international standards at the premises of the electronic cash center. - Developed and rolled out an interbanking telecommunication network in the form of a fiber optic ring linking all the banks. - Set up and placed into service a center for the personalization of certified banking cards. - Launched a communication campaign on the use of bank cards for making payments. - Introduced an electronic cash solution offering nationwide interbanking and acceptance/issuance of international bank cards. - Issued 22 000 interbanking cards that can be used for payment and withdrawal. - Connected all banks to the electronic cash center. - Adopted legal provisions regulating the use of international banking cards and the tourist allocation (available only through the use of these cards). - Linked the electronic cash center to the VISA INTERNATIONAL network (purchases/withdrawals). ### Insurance sector - Set up an advisory commission for the insurance industry. - Finalized terms of reference for the diagnostic survey of the sector. ### Improving the business climate and promoting SMEs — priorities - Main priorities pursued by government authorities: - Improving the legal environment for business by tackling anticompetitive practices. - Adopting business-friendly tax and customs policies. - Providing institutional support for developing commerce. - Putting measures in place to support Mauritanian SMEs in industry, handicrafts business, and SMEs in the construction and public works sector. - Strengthening consultation mechanisms and economic monitoring tools. - Reforming the financial sector. ### Legal, tax, and customs measures for businesses - Legal environment improvements: - Training judges and commercial court registrars. - Conducting a study on rules governing the central trade register at CCIAM. - Supporting setup of a Mediation and Arbitration Chamber at the CCIAM. - Drafting an order on organization and operation of the central trade register. - Organizing a Commercial Bank/Justice Sector seminar. - Tax and customs policy changes: - Raised threshold for lump sum tax on industrial and commercial profits from 3 to 6 million ouguiyas (depending on sector) to a uniform threshold of 30 million ouguiyas. - Simplified rules for the minimum flat tax (IMF in the French), with across-the-board taxation of all businesses with a lump sum tax of 2.5 percent of turnover, while tax on industrial and commercial profits was set at 25 percent of businesses’ profits. - Made the lump sum regime declarative (not presumptive), based on a declaration on a simple form. - Established tax centers at the Tax Administration to simplify relations with taxpayers. - Entry into service of the ASYCUDA++ system designed to increase revenue through regulatory measures (Budget Law, Tariff schedules, Regimes, etc.) and uniform application across computerized bureaus. ### Institutional support for trade and export promotion - Promoted regulations on consultations and trade negotiations by setting up the National Consultative Commission on International Trade (CNCCI). - Set up the National Steering Committee for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). - Conducted a 2009 feasibility study into setting up an Export Promotion Center. - Organized seminars, training, information, and awareness workshops on the EPA, WTO Agreements, trade negotiations and trade preference systems. - Strengthened ownership of the Integrated Framework among government agencies, private sector, and civil society. - Mainstreamed the commercial dimension into national development strategy. - Enhanced positioning of the CCIAM as a key player in private sector development and promotion. - Developed the trade strategy for 2007-2015 and built capacity at the CCIAM. ### Support measures for SMEs and industrial development - Enacted law on standardization and quality promotion and set up a national system for standardization and quality promotion. - Created new industrial facilities, especially in agrifood and construction material industries. - Conducted studies into setting up a metrology laboratory and supported development of quality infrastructure. - Established an industrial information system (industrial enterprise database). - Developed and validated a priority action plan to implement the industrial strategy. - Developed a program to restructure and upgrade industrial enterprises. - Instituted legal provisions to regulate recording of industrial activities. - Developed product specifications for bottled water and baking industries and conducted surveys and enforcement drives. - Adopted a decree establishing an Economic Enterprise Support Commission to support businesses in difficulty. - Organized several editions of the National Inventors and Technological Innovation Show and campaigns to raise awareness of industrial property. ### Consultation and economic monitoring tools - Established an institution to promote local and foreign private investment and serve as a forum for government/private sector consultation. - Inaugurated in 2007 the Presidential Investment Council as a platform for direct engagement between local and international investors and the President of the Republic. ### Maximizing growth potentials in sectoral policies — mining, fisheries, tourism, handicrafts - Mining sector strategic guidelines: - Updating legal framework. - Institutional support. - Enhancing geological data. - Promoting mining to diversify national mining production. - Mining sector undertakings during PRSP II: - Improved legal and regulatory framework (2008 mining law, revised in 2009) and drafting implementation provisions. - Institutional reform, including creation of the Directorate of the Mines Police and institutional strengthening of mining administration agencies. - Airborne geophysical survey of 72 percent of Mauritania’s surface area at 1:500,000 scale and geophysical survey of 56 percent of territory at 1:200,000 for most prospective metallogenic parts. - Promotion of mining via participation in regional and international events and assisting foreign investors. - Prospecting, research, development, and actual mining with over 150 exploration permits issued to some fifty mining concerns. - Fisheries sector objectives for 2006-2010: - Preserve fish stocks. - Further mainstream fisheries in the economy. - Preserve environment and marine/coastal ecosystems. - Promote institutional and regulatory framework, maximize human resource value, and ensure effective monitoring and evaluation. - Fisheries achievements 2006-2007: - Prepared a management and development plan for small scale and inshore fishing. - Enhanced surveillance through monitoring in ports. - Adopted management plan for octopus fishing; drafted management plan for shrimping. - Adopted ISPS code for safety of port facilities. - Implemented master plan for Mauritanian coastal management and development. - Set up maritime credit. - Ensured ENEMP compliance under agreement STCW-95. - Signed maritime collective bargaining agreement. - Dredged small-scale fisheries port for the Baie du Repos Port Facility (EPBR). - Completed construction of training and social development centers for small-scale and inland fisheries. - Established national health inspection bureau for fisheries and aquaculture products (ONISPA). - Held an open forum for the fisheries sector. - Fisheries achievements 2008-2010: - Started implementation of management plans for octopus fishing. - Launched initiatives to develop fisheries infrastructure and landing sites. - Emergence of poles of development for small-scale fisheries. - Phase II of fisheries surveillance and monitoring project. - Purchased supplies for EPBR and executed second phase of PDPAS. - Extended/reconditioned EPBR’s jetty and equipment. - Established fund for studies/ Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (MPEM). - Equipped small-scale fisheries training centers and supported monitoring and evaluation systems. - Executed ENEMP promotion program and supported fisheries research. - Ensured Nouakchott fish market compliance with prevailing standards and improved health inspection of fisheries products. - Tourism sector priorities and outcomes: - Priorities: institutional support, strengthening legal framework, developing tourist attractions, developing service quality, promoting tourism via a marketing plan. - Outcomes: developed a tourism development strategy; developed Arquin National Park and Diawling National Park; promoted service quality through training for specialized guides; implemented a marketing plan to reduce communication deficit; participated in specialized expos and fairs in Europe and Africa; organized open days on Mauritania in Paris in 2008. - Handicrafts subsector achievements: - Established a handicrafts code. - Established handicrafts socioprofessional organizations: a National Arts and Crafts Chamber (CNARM), three National Federations and thirteen Regional Arts and Crafts Federations. ### Strengthening the economic role of infrastructure - Rationale: - Infrastructure reduces costs of factors of production (energy, transport, communications) and helps reduce inequalities and poverty. - Transport modes used: road (dominant), rail, air, rivers, and sea. - Road transport programming 2006-2010: - Strengthened transport liberalization begun in October 2005. - Improved road maintenance under contracts between government and ENER. - Undertook new road investment programs to provide access to isolated areas and strengthen subregional connections. - Air transport priorities: - Ensure National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) is fully established and operational. - Improve regulatory framework. - Upgrade airport capacity. - Maritime and waterway transport objectives: - Increase sector development capacity. - Improve competitiveness of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott. - Rail transport: - Nouadhibou-Zouerate line scheduled for maintenance as part of iron ore transport initiatives. - Land transport institutional and organizational actions: - Closed the Transport Bureau to improve customer service quality. - Resumed driver’s license examinations previously suspended and began printed driver’s licenses. - Provided and installed signaling at “black spots” in greater Nouakchott. - Resumed technical inspections while awaiting concession award for technical visits as a public service. - Set up highway control office (BCR) within Directorate General for Road Transport (DGTT). - Began work at public works laboratory on regulating manufacturing of license plates and certification. - Provided compendium of legal provisions implementing Decree No. 2007-006 of January 5, 2009 on the road code. - Started design work on casualty accident report form and organized brainstorming days on land transport sector. - Established a Public Transport Corporation (S.T.P.) and adopted its articles of association. - Established a regulatory authority for the sector. - Infrastructure development achievements: - Handover of construction work on PK32-M’Bégnik stretch (Rosso-Bogué road) and continued work on Rosso-PK32 stretch and Rosso town road network. - Continued construction on Kaédi-M’Bout-Selibaby-Gouraye road. - Completed Lekraa Lakhdhar works and bridge building to provide access to Barkéol and opened access to Bénichab. - Paved over 80 km of roads in Nouakchott. - Built urban road networks in Akjoujt, Nouadhibou, and Zouerate. - Started rehabilitation and extension on the Kiffa-Tintane road. - Identified road stretches for rehabilitation in 2010 by Akjoujt Mining Company (MCM), which committed to rehabilitating 30km of the Nouakchott-Akjoujt road each year. - Completed feasibility and execution studies for Tidjikja-Kiffa and Kiffa-Sélibaby-Malian Border roads, the Nouakchott ring road, and Phase I of the Aftout access road program. - Evaluated bids for building the road from Atar to Tidjikja. - Updated survey of the Nouakchott – Rosso road and finalized invitation to bid for survey work on Tintane – Néma, Néma-Bassiknou-Vassala-Malian Border, and Néma-Amourj-Adel Bagrou. - Improved road maintenance using ENER financial resources within Government/ENER program contracts. *Source: Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review (selected excerpts).* ### 2.50 In the aviation subsector, recent developments included: (i) winding up of Air ### _cr11252 - 2.50 In the aviation subsector, recent developments included: (i) winding up of Air ### Aviation subsector — recent developments - Winding up of Air Mauritanie. - Creation of two airlines: Mauritania Airways and Mauritania Airlines International. - Assessment of the institutional and legal environment of the aviation subsector. - Strengthening management of Mauritania’s air space from a regional air traffic control center in Nouakchott. - Airport infrastructure focus: - Technical survey of the new Nouakchott airport. - Rehabilitation and strengthening of Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, and Sélibaby airports. - Construction (still underway) of a new control tower in Nouakchott. - Regulatory reform: work on the Civil aviation code and implementing regulations is still underway. ### Maritime subsector — legal, regulatory, and institutional developments - Drafting of a national plan for search and rescue of human lives at sea. - Revision of the Ports Code. - Reform of the Merchant Marine Code. ### Port infrastructure — outcomes - Increase in 2009 of the annual tonnage of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott (the Port of Friendship) (PANPA) compared to 2008. - ISPS certification for PANPA and implementation of the ISPS code. - Increased protection against incursions via the footbridge and stronger perimeter fencing of the port’s premises. - Construction and entry into service of a maritime surveillance post on the wharf. - Expert reports on the metal works on the bridge and the quay. - Installation of the marking buoy for the turning basin. - Installation of a customer area. - Organization of two marketing drives at the Bamako and Kayes fairs. - Reconditioning of the weighbridge. - New marking buoys. - Installation of the Automatic Identification System (AIS). - Launch of a study of the development plan and a technical and financial review of PANPA. - Start of work on expansion of PANPA. - Start of rehabilitation works on the Rosso unloading docks. ### Security and maritime safety — capacity building - Installation of a rescue unit in Nouadhibou and staging areas in Tiwilit and Legweichichi. - Establishment of a database on maritime incidents. ### Infrastructure and national energy objectives (2006–2010) Main objectives established by government authorities: - Boosting electricity supply and electricity connection rates for its population. - Promoting rural electrification and renewable energies. - Implementing a policy based on supplying more high performing energy options that offer efficiency, reliability, and viability for all forms of energy. - Ensuring an uninterrupted supply of liquid hydrocarbons in competitive, healthy, and perfectly safe conditions for people, property, and the environment. - Increasing supplies of butane gas so as to reduce demand for forest fuels. - Building capacity in the sector. ### Electricity sector — outcomes and projects - Implementation in October 2007 of a restructuring plan for Mauritania Electricity Corporation (SOMELEC). - Emergency measures included a review of rates, subsidies, an increase in capacity, and upgrading of key installations. - Creation of the National Agency for the Development of Renewable Energies (ANADER) as project manager for major renewable energy contracts. - Government emergency investment program will boost production capacity of the grid by 56W. - Increase in electricity production and distribution capacity enabled: - Complete electrification of Nouakchott’s neighborhoods and the districts of Nbeika, Sava, Choum, Arr, Wompou, and Dafort. - Construction (still underway and scheduled for completion by end-2011) of a 36MW plant and the 33Kv closed loop around Nouakchott. - Expansion of the Nouadhibou plant. - Electrification of the last 6 moughataa administrative capitals: Amourj, Barkéol, Boumdeid, M’Bagne, Moudjéria, and Ould Yengé. - Arrival of electricity in the new towns of Rosso, Tintane, neighborhoods in Nouadhibou, Néma, Kaédi, d’Adel Bagrou, El Ghayree, Kamour, etc. ### Delegation of public services and renewable/small-scale solutions - Implementation of the 1998 reform in delegation of public services: local private operators granted concessions for network operation and technical and commercial management of solar kits. - Objective: leverage public resources to attract private investment, reduce government outlays, and boost access to energy. - Despite hydrocarbons price spikes, local private investors retained interest. ### Energy management and butanization - Energy supply policy included identifying beneficiaries and area of intervention for “operation butanization” (in the Triangle de l’Espoir or Triangle of Hope). ### Refined hydrocarbons — regulatory and institutional outcomes - Enactment of an oil law providing for a regulatory mechanism embodied by the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNHY). - Adoption of a decree regulating the licensing criteria for hydrocarbons processing. - Segmentation of the butane gas market clearing the way for new private operators with huge supplies of cylinders. - Adoption of several regulatory provisions, notably decrees establishing pricing elements for petrol and butane gas. - Service station surveys conducted. - Establishment of a solidarity fund that generated 6 billion ouguiyas in 2009 for the government budget. - Incorporation in 2009 of a new company, GIP-SA, to rehabilitate and manage intake, transfer, and storage infrastructure at the Nouadhibou refinery through a partnership between SOMIR (30 percent) and SNIM (70 percent). - This partnership will make it possible to mobilize about UM 9 billion to carry out these works and address the issue of securing Mauritania’s supplies. ### Telecommunications — objectives and infrastructure rollout - Four main objectives: (i) developing telecommunications infrastructure; (ii) strengthening the institutional framework; (iii) boosting ICT use; and (iv) fostering competition and improving service quality. - More fixed and mobile networks were rolled out between 2006 and 2010 throughout the national territory. ### Institutional strengthening and ICT platforms - Development of interactive tools (email, Internet, Intranet, helpdesk) enabling exchanges between government directorates. - Development of an IT platform for government departments (Datacenter, equipment procurement, expansion of the high speed Intranet). - Development of information systems (electronic mail management, drafting of IT blueprints for ministerial departments) to improve efficiency. - Development of major portals in Internet technologies (public service, management of departments’ action plans, competition management, etc.). - Establishment of an economic interest group (EIG) comprising the three telecommunications operators and MAURIPOST to implement and manage the project to connect the country to the ACE submarine cable. ### ICT development outcomes and competition - GSM subscriber base exceeded two million, with annual growth of more than 35 percent. - Broadband service grew with entry into service of ADSL lines and 3G in certain regional capitals. - Teledensity reached 70 percent in 2008. - PRSP II enabled: - Granting of a 3rd GSM license. - Three operators to secure a global (Fixed-Mobile-Internet) license. - Enhanced competition among mobile operators, especially in terms of rates, with advent of a third carrier. - Improvements in quality of service from carriers. ### Anchor growth — focus area 2: Rural development (overview) - Rural sector provides a livelihood for over 60 percent of Mauritanians and is a main source of economic growth. - Objectives that saw limited impact despite initiatives: - Foster growth to assure food security. - Assure equitable access to resources. - Increase supply and availability of goods and services needed to develop the sector. - Improve capacity for managing integrated and inclusive rural development. - Strengthen mechanism for monitoring serious diseases (e.g., avian flu). - Lack of a clear medium and long-term strategic vision; last sectoral strategy drafted in 1998, reviewed in 2001; stocktaking in 2007 and sectoral policy memorandum in 2009 but no full strategic approach developed. ### Agriculture — actions and outcomes - Land use planning and management and rehabilitation of 6,300 hectares of irrigated land over PRSP II. - Cereal production averaged 151,000 metric tons annually, covering approximately 30 percent of the country’s cereal needs. - Improving supply and marketing: - Construction of 83 km of dirt roads atop dykes in the oasis zone. - Feeder roads and bridges in the valley: 21 bridges et 5 access alleys. - Increasing storage capacities and developing tailor made credits. - Implementation of Special Intervention Program (PSI) with major irrigation component. - Government buy-out of over UM 7 million of small farmers’ debt. - Establishment of the Agricultural Works Corporation (SNAT). - Program to protect crops against animal incursions by fencing 14000 ha with barbed wire using local manpower paid out of the project’s funds. - Implementation of annual crop pest control programs (desert locusts, locusts, corn stalk borers, etc.). - Efforts to protect crops against animal incursions, especially in rain-fed agriculture areas. ### Oasis agriculture - Significant support to Oasis Mutual Credit Institutions (MICO) through training and close supervision. - Major water control program: sinking wells and constructing sills to slow water flow rate. ### Livestock rearing — actions and issues - Main issue: lack of integration between agriculture and livestock sectors despite a policy letter since 2004. - Under PRSP II implemented actions: - Veterinary infrastructure: 111 vaccination yards; 28 veterinary pharmacies; 107 pastoral wells; 40 pastoral reserves. - Programs to develop fodder growing: fodder growing on 180 ha. - Genetic improvement program in cattle and poultry value chains. - Annual cattle prophylaxis campaigns with vaccination coverage rate against major diseases moving from 52 percent in 2005 to 94 percent in 2009. - Completion of studies on the red meat value chain and milk producing areas in the south. - Other ongoing actions: central cattle market in Nouakchott and establishment of the livestock farmers credit union. ### Rural planning and development — water management infrastructure - 20 dams and 14 sills built. - Protective dykes built; dykes and diguettes reinforced. - Dead arms of the river at Koundi and N’Diorol recalibrated. - 159 km of outfall tubes built. - Maintenance and upgrading of dams, dykes, and diguettes during preparation for crop years. ### Constraints across rural value chains - Lack of organization among producers. - Lack of accountability. - Lack of clear policy on research, training, outreach, and land use management. ### Urban development — PRSP action plan focus areas - Infrastructure development in urban agglomerations. - Economic development of towns and cities. - Improving urban management. - Strengthening coordination and capacity building among implementers. ### Town planning — institutional improvements and operations - Completion of land restructuring and consolidation in the Kebba of El Mina providing land tenure to over ten thousand households. - Launch of three major operations to restructure squatter settlements in Nouakchott (Hay Saken for 6000 households, Arafat) and Nouadhibou. - Approval of the town-planning code and drafting of implementing provisions. - Approval of the general construction regulation. - Inventory of land reserves in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. - Urban police actions to prevent squatting. - Resettlement of occupants of the blocs rouges buildings as prelude to developing a modern downtown area (design studies underway). - Start of urban renewal operations in Rosso, Tintane, and the new moughataa of Dhar. - Creation of new land-tax bases, including a new commercial and industrial zone to encourage investment. - Resettlement measures for people affected by restructuring programs in squatter settlements. ### Housing — progress and programs - Completion and marketing of the 1050 housing-unit program by SOCOGIM in collaboration with local banks. - Construction of 2100 housing units for social housing between 2006 and 2008 in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. - Construction of about 1000 housing units in Nouakchott by private real estate developers through agreements with the government. - Completion and partial marketing of 1485 serviced lots in Nouakchott. - Program to develop 884 lots earmarked for social housing and now under construction in Nouakchott (El Mina). - Award of land concessions to private international developers to expand the housing market. - Establishment of ISKAN (merger of SOCOGIM and ANAT) to develop the sector. - Approval of a strategic development plan for administrative buildings and a housing strategy. - Adoption of measures to remove bottlenecks in the construction and public works sector and promote use of local materials. ### Slum upgrading (summary from box) - Between 1960 and 2010 major urban changes; urban population reached almost 1,939,000 inhabitants in 2010, or 60 % of total population estimated at 3,300,000 habitants. - Nouakchott squatter settlements population estimated in 2008 at 194,000 inhabitants (25 % of the city’s total population) or approximately 38,800 households occupying an area of 1072 hectares. - Integrated restructuring programs aimed to provide: (i) land tenure; (ii) access to decent housing and suitable social infrastructure; and (iii) access to simplified housing and small business loans. - Pilot operation between 2003 and 2007 in El Mina guaranteed land tenure to over 16,000 households and implemented a construction program costing almost 4 billion ouguiyas. - Participatory approach adopted for restructuring Arafat and Hay Saken (Hay Saken restructured between 2008 and 2010 with almost 6000 households). ### Promoting microfinance and microenterprises — objectives and outcomes - National microfinance promotion strategy (adopted in 2003) focused on developing a savings and loan culture for poorer segments. - Objective: foster emergence of a viable and lasting MFI network covering the entire territory. - Microfinance activity growth and statistics: - Number of users went from 94,000 in 2004 to 185,000 users in 2009. - Stock of credit distributed rose from 7.41 billion ouguiyas in 2006 to 18.9 billion ouguiyas by end-December 2009 (progression of 155 percent). - Increase in deposits over the same period was 154 percent compared with 2006. - Deposits calculated at 5.4 billion UM in 2010. - Micro financing for women: financing of 436 projects in 2006 and 4,475 projects by the Nissa-Bank totaling 505,898,381 ouguiyas. - Beit El Maal issued over 70,000 microcredits for income generating activities in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou totaling over one billion ouguiyas. - Adoption of a special legal and regulatory framework and a nationwide awareness campaign. *Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review — extracted content unit* ### 2.78 In addressing food security, the action plan for the 2006-2010 PRSP was built around ### _cr11252 - 2.78 In addressing food security, the action plan for the 2006-2010 PRSP was built around ### Food security action plan (2.78–2.79) - The PRSP 2006-2010 action plan was built around four complementary focus areas: - (i) promoting lasting solutions to food insecurity; - (ii) strengthening the early warning system; - (iii) improving intervention capacity; - (iv) improving coordination and capacity building for those involved in implementation in those focus areas, while taking into account the recommendations in the national nutrition development policy. - Main actions undertaken between 2006 and 2010 (in the absence of a finalized food security strategy; an initial outline had been made in 2004): - (i) creation of over 3,500 village security stocks in rural areas, ensuring that food is available and in close proximity; - (ii) replenishment of the national food security stock; - (iii) implementation of a program of local development promotion projects (execution of 256 food security micro projects); - (v) distribution of food to the neediest (32,000 tonnes); - (vi) execution of safety net programs for vulnerable population segments (478 IGAs); - (viii) subsidized sales of staples under the PSI (44 000 tonnes); - (ix) implementation of a nutrition program (465 Community Feeding Centers, 1,460 CRENAM and 10 school canteens); - (x) rehabilitation of storage infrastructure (20 warehouses with a 1000- tonne capacity and 15 with 200-tonne capacity). ### Microfinance and financial inclusion (embedded in food-security/social strategy) - Developing microfinance is a key focus area of the government’s strategy to anchor growth in the economic sphere directly benefiting the poor. - Role and rationale: - Microfinance development is an essential component of the national financial system, contributing to diversification of the system and allowing the vast majority of citizens to benefit from financial services geared toward them. - MFIs develop a culture of savings and financing of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and Income Generating Activities (IGA) for population segments that have no access to banking services. - Legal and regulatory reform (2007): - A new law (Ordinance No. 005/2007) and its implementing provisions (4 instructions from the Governor of the BCM were issued) were enacted. - The regulatory framework enabled: - (i) separation of provisions governing the microfinance sector from those governing banks and financial institutions by establishing more regulations better suited for the sector with emphasasis on more transparency and professionalism; - (ii) ending the monopoly wielded by the cooperatives and credit unions by opening up the profession to other legal entities, notably business corporations (classified under category B) and NGOs, development projects, and associations (classified under Category C). - Under the new framework, existing institutions had their licences renewed under Law 008/98. Renewal of their licences was granted based on two criteria set out in the Ordinance: - (i) yearly audits to verify actual activity; and - (ii) observance of the declarative obligations required by the BCM. ### Targeted poverty reduction programs (2.80–2.83) - Implementation and target groups: - Generally implemented by government structures on the ground (police stations, ANAIR, etc.) for vulnerable and sensitive population segments (the indigent, beggars, graduates, returnees etc.). - PRSP action plan guidance principles: - (i) targeting; - (ii) an integrated approach; - (iii) a participatory approach; - (iv) systematic use of project managers. - Outcomes achieved during 2006-2010: - (i) setting up of social and community infrastructure (health and education); - (ii) improved access to basic services (safe drinking water, electricity); - (iii) construction of water infrastructure and improving access to isolated areas; - (iv) securing employment for young graduates; - (v) financing of income-generating activities; - (vi) assistance to the vulnerable (beggars, the handicapped, refugees, persons suffering from the after effects of slavery...) as well as assistance to victims of disaster. - Program design and implementation: - Developed and implemented using a participatory approach involving central, regional, and local actors (departments, territorial administration, elected representatives, civil society, beneficiaries, and development partners) at all levels of the project cycles. ### Human resources development and expansion of basic services (Focus Area 3) (2.84–2.85) - Rationale: - Interdependence between success of growth acceleration policies, anchoring growth in the economic sphere directly benefitting the poor, and need for developing human resources and broadening access for the poor to basic services. - Eleven priority areas defined for 2006-2010 with strong poverty reduction potential and disparities: - (i) education; - (ii) literacy; - (iii) technical and vocational training; - (iv) health and nutrition; - (v) water and sanitation; - (vi) employment promotion; - (vii) population policy; - (viii) promoting women and gender equity; - (ix) child welfare; - (x) social protection; - (xi) universal access to basic services. #### Education (2.86–2.95) - Objectives for PRSP II education sector: - (i) produce human capital capable of fostering the country’s economic and social development; - (ii) boost possibilities for education by restructuring the educational options available (public and private alike) to better meet demand; - (iii) enhance the quality of education; - (iv) improve internal and external efficiency to provide highly qualified workers and meet needs of a modern sector; - (v) improve and strengthen management and leadership of the educational system. - Implementation highlights: - Continued building/rehabilitation of infrastructure for schools and training and recruitment and training of teaching staff. - Primary education statistics: - Enrolment increased from 465 887 pupils in 2005/2006 to 512 998 pupils in 2008/2009 (a growth rate of 10 percent). - Number of schools reached 3 793 compared with 2 980. - Private schools accounted for 7 percent in 2006 and 10 percent in 2009. - GER at basic level: 96.9 percent in 2006 and 99 percent in 2009, outperforming the target of 98 percent set in 2010. - Boy/girl ratio slightly in favor of girls (50.4 percent). - Retention rate: only approximately 61 percent of pupils complete their primary education. - Likelihood of completing primary education: higher for boys (42 percent) than for girls (34 percent). - GER target in 2010 achieved in all wilayas except Gorgol (90.09 percent) and Hodh Charghi (86.8 percent). - Secondary level (first cycle) statistics and issues: - GER dropped from 27.7 percent in 2006 to 22.9 percent in 2009. - Percentage of pupils promoted from primary to secondary: 56 percent in 2006 as against 36.7 percent. - Contraction of 15 percent in secondary school enrolment over the same period. - GER of 32.8 percent for boys and 28.4 percent for girls (secondary level). - Drop in quality illustrated by poor BEPC and Baccalauréat examinations. - Reform exposed a dire need for science teachers capable of teaching in French. - Tertiary education reforms and actions: - (i) implementation of the Bachelors-Masters-Doctorate (LMD) system; - (ii) appointing university authorities through elections; - (iii) adopting regulatory provisions (on the status of teachers and researchers, operations at the National Higher Education Board, etc.). - Additional actions: establishment of a medical faculty; establishment of a Higher Institute of Business Accounting and Administration (ISCAE); establishment of a Higher Institute of Technological Education in Rosso (ISET); start of construction on the new Nouakchott university campus. - Tertiary education access and quality concerns: - Male/female parity not achieved: girls account for less than a quarter of enrolment. - Internal effectiveness issues: over three quarters of students enrolled in first year repeat their first year; overall repeat rate at the University of Nouakchott for the 2008/2009 academic year was 59 percent. - Despite increased enrolment, tertiary education suffers from low internal and external effectiveness; available data show high unemployment rates among University of Nouakchott graduates. - Main explanatory factors: academic nature of courses, lack of scientific research, underequipped workshops and laboratories, and non-involvement of the private sector. #### Literacy and traditional education (2.96–2.101) - Literacy objectives under PRSP II: - (i) enable all Mauritanians 14 years and over to master reading and arithmetic; - (ii) improve retention rates in primary schools; - (iii) strengthen initial literacy through post literacy and basic income-generating, activity-oriented vocational training; - (iv) develop writing through self-directed training. - Literacy outcomes and disparities: - Overall literacy rate: 61.5 percent in 2008 as against 57.5 percent in 2004. - Gender disparity: men 70.3 percent and women 54.4 percent. - Urban/rural disparity: 73.3 percent in urban areas as against 50.3 percent in rural areas. - Actions during 2006-2010: - (i) awareness raising campaigns and literacy courses for tens of thousands of persons (40,250 adults are now literate); - (ii) constructing over 1,600 classrooms for literacy classes; - (iii) implementing a media-based literacy program, which reached over 6,100 adults, 97 percent of which were women, in addition to a special literacy program for 1000 women. - Traditional education: - Built 10 model mahadras with accommodation for students and made traditional curricula available online. - Islamic affairs support and activities: - Organized 44 preaching missions in 11 countries during Ramadan, Koran recital competition, or pilgrimage logistics. - Training and capacity building improved skills of imams and religious leaders. - Support provided for proper functioning of 514 mosques and 350 mahadras and guarantee payment of allowances of 4,593 imams. - Sector guidance results included strengthening of regulatory framework organizing the waqf and compulsory alms (draft decrees prepared, stalls built at the El Mina market, revitalization of the publishing unit, drafting of requests); and a study on restructuring ISERI to institute measurement of the LMD system. #### Technical and vocational training (2.102–2.103) - Objectives: - (i) carry out far-reaching reforms focused at the institutional level on unifying leadership for the sector; - (ii) improve governance of the Technical and Vocational Training FTP system; - (iii) revive the forums for government-employer consultation (National FTP Board). - Achievements: - (i) increased capacity in training centers; - (ii) refurbishing of facilities in several training streams; - (iii) training of scores of teaching and management staff; - (iv) setting up and outfitting by the SNIM (still underway) of a technical and vocational training center; - (v) development of over 24 training programs based on the Competency-based Approach (APC); - (vi) experimental implementation of these new programs completed for the brevet technique (BT) diploma in the tertiary sector and being extended to the CAP diploma; - (vii) setting up a twinning arrangement for implementation of the quality process; - (viii) on-the-job training for over 2,700 persons. #### Health and nutrition (2.104–2.110) - National health policy main objectives: - (i) improve life expectancy and quality for Mauritanians by reducing overall mortality and morbidity, particularly maternal and infant and child mortality and morbidity; - (ii) increase the interval between pregnancies and reduce the overall fertility rate; - (iii) mitigate the impact of endemoepidemic diseases, including HIV/AIDS and emerging diseases on the country’s psychological and socioeconomic development; - (iv) reduce hunger and malnutrition among the population, in particular among the vulnerable; - (v) guarantee access for children in difficulty and vulnerable groups to effective, sustainable, basic services adapted to their needs; - (vi) strengthen community participation in developing and managing strategies for access to basic services; - (vii) improve intersectoral coordination. - Key health statistics and MDG prospects: - Maternal mortality: 686 for every 100.000 live births. - Infant mortality: 122‰. - Infant-child mortality: 77‰. - Based on findings of the national MDG monitoring report published in 2010, and given current pace of change in the indicators, only the MDG on combating AIDS can be achieved by the 2015 deadline if sustained efforts are made. It is unlikely that targets geared to reducing child mortality and improving maternal health will be reached in 2015. - Health coverage and geographic disparities: - 67 percent of Mauritanians have access to a health facility within a radius of 5 km. - Spatial breakdown: 98 percent in Nouakchott, as against 52 percent in Hodh El Gharbi. - Response measures: strategies for health coverage, flat fees for obstetrical care extended to reduce the proportion of people without easy access to health facilities in poor rural, remote, or isolated areas. - Health infrastructure and equipment actions: - (i) construction of a regional hospital in Zouerate and 33 health posts; - (ii) rehabilitation of 8 health post; - (iii) outfitting of 4 regional hospitals and 45 health posts; - (iv) establishment of three specialized hospitals (CNC, CNO, CHME), conversion of four regional hospitals into general hospitals; - Communications equipment and automotive equipment (ambulances, light vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles) were also provided. - Disease prevention and care actions: - (i) extending the flat fee for obstetrical care to the three eastern wilayas (the two Hodhs and l’Assaba), to Nouadhibou, Gorgol, and Brakna; - (ii) ensuring regular immunization campaigns for children under 5 years; - (iii) providing insecticide-treated mosquito nets; - (iv) organizing awareness raising campaigns among the people; - (v) free treatment of obstetric fistula; - (vi) training of health practitioners: physicians (obstetrician-gynecologists, urologists, and pediatricians), midwives, assistant birth attendants, and nurses. - Persistent challenges: - Absence of an effective strategy for developing quality services capable of providing rapid relief to suffering patients, especially children and expectant mothers. - Low utilization: 0.6 contacts per person per year. - Rise in numbers of patients seeking care abroad or traditional medicine in the case of the poor. - Huge delay in the implementation of the community approach. - Measures to improve sector performance: - (i) drafting and adoption of a three-year action plan for 2010 -2012; - (ii) formulation of the action plan for achieving the MDGs; - (iii) review of the 2009-2011 MTEF; - (iv) organization of annual reviews of the sector and strengthened supervision and monitoring of actions. *Source: Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review (excerpts as provided).* ### 2.111 In the area of nutrition, the main initiatives involved: (i) developing a national ### 2.111 In the area of nutrition, the main initiatives involved: (i) developing a national community nutrition program; and (ii) implementation of a national program to change nutritional habits in communities ### Nutrition - Initiatives: - Developing a national community nutrition program. - Implementation of a national program to change nutritional habits in communities. - Physical rollout and coverage: - Opening of 194 community nutrition centers (CNC) in seven wilayas with a high prevalence of malnutrition. - CNCs served 9 857 pregnant women and 12 504 breastfeeding women. - As a result of these CNCs, 18 693 children had their growth monitored. - Capacity building and institutional measures: - Development and validation of a national communication strategy to modify behavior toward nutrition. - Establishment of the National Nutritional Development Board and its Standing Technical Committee and regional commissions. - Human resources: recruitment of 14 specialists in nutrition and communication and training of 194 nutrition practitioners. - Implementation of the joint program for acceleration of funding of the fight against malnutrition in the southeast. - Implementation of the national protocol for treatment of severe malnutrition. - Implementation of the national strategy for the feeding of nursing infants and preschool children and directives for vitamin A supplements. ### Water and sanitation - PRSP 2006-2010 overall objective: - Improve, in terms of quantity and quality at affordable prices, sustainable access for all to water and sanitation. - Strategic focus areas: (i) improving access to safe drinking water; (ii) inventory and protection of water resources; (iii) improving sanitation; (iv) promoting public-private partnerships; and (v) building capacity in the sector. - Access and consumption statistics: - 58.3 percent of households had access to safe drinking water in 2008, compared with 52 percent in 2004. - In urban areas, 35 percent of households were connected to the public drinking water supply network through a private connection (35 percent in cities managed by SNDE, and 38 percent in cities managed by ANEPA). - For 62 percent of households the principal mode of access to water remains water carts and water vendors. - In areas lacking basic services (Nouakchott, Atar, and Rosso): water carts supply 84 percent of households and only 5 percent have access to a service line piping water into their homes. - Water consumption levels (unchanged compared with 2006): 46 liters/day/person for households with a private service line and 18 liters/day/person for customers of water carts and other vendors. - Rural dominant access: pumpless wells for 49.2 percent of rural households. - Urban dominant access source: reliance on vendors at 62 percent. - Projects and infrastructure actions: - Implemented projects/programs include: water points project in the Sahel; projects to combat the guinea worm; safe drinking water component of the Lehdada project; continuation of Aftout Essahili project; outfitting of 350 water points; completion of catchment area strengthening of Aioun and Timbedra; piped water supply of Nouadhibou and strengthening production/distribution in Bababé, Djiguenni, Kobenni, Bassikounou, Maghama, and Kankossa; continued execution of the Safe Drinking Water Distribution System (AEP) river project (21 stations); implementation of emergency and priority in 2007-2008. - Institutional and regulatory measures: - Adoption of implementing provisions under the water code: decree creating the National Water Board and terms for its organization and operation; decree setting conditions for establishment of strategic water preservation zones. - Conversion of ANEPA into a public entity named the National Rural Water Services (ONSER) with responsibilities for safe drinking water supply in rural areas and for monitoring management and maintenance of rural and semi-urban water infrastructure. - Inventories of existing water points were carried out and fresh resources were developed. - Sanitation actions and status: - Actions: establishment of a National Sanitation Bureau; construction of 30 new area drains; procurement of two water ditch diggers; pilot projects for manufacture of sanitation equipment (in compliance with standards); bypass works on Nouakchott Polyclinic; rehabilitation of Nouakchott filtration plant; building of sewerage networks in Rosso, Aleg, and Kaédi. - Access statistics: 45.7 percent of households nationwide have access to latrines. - In rural areas, 68 percent of households do not have latrines. - In urban areas, 56 percent of households have latrines and only 13.6 percent have flush toilets. - Public-private partnership measures: - Application of procedures for outsourcing public water supply. - Establishment of a water rate schedule among operators practicing differentiated prices per meter cube. ### Employment - PRSP II objectives (2006-2010): - (i) maximize job creation; (ii) organize the labor market; and (iii) improve the quality of jobs. - Main actions implemented: - Development of an employment strategy. - Incorporation of the decentralized approach to employment in regional poverty reduction strategies. - Promotion of self-employment through financing entrepreneurial projects and counseling/advisory services for unemployed graduates. - Organization of internships for job seekers. - Start-up of activities under the Micro-finance Capacity Building Program (PRECAMF). - Expansion of activities under the highly labor-intensive Stonework Development Program (PPPT) to several wilayas. - Launch and extension of the National Integrated Micro-enterprise Program (PNIME). ### Population policy - PRSP II objectives: - (i) reduce the overall fertility rate from 4.7 to 4.2; (ii) build capacity to implement and monitor the population policy; (iii) ensure harmonious regional development to encourage people to remain in home towns; and (iv) reduce gender inequalities. - Observed indicators and changes: - Change in main population indicators was slow, particularly overall fertility and contraception use, virtually stable for the past ten years. - Overall fertility rate: 4.6 percent in 2007, compared with 4.7 percent in 2000. - Contraception use: 9.3 percent in 2007 as against 5.1 percent in 2000. ### Culture, youth, and sports - Culture sector objectives: - (i) promote culture and the arts; (ii) conserve and promote cultural heritage; and (iii) promote publishing and public readings. - Main achievements in culture: - Enactment of a law to protect intangible heritage. - Organization of annual cultural festivals and interregional cultural tournaments. - Implementation of conservation plans and master plans for ancient cities such as Koumbi Saleh, Aoudaghost, and Aghreijitt. - Establishment of a system of micro credits to finance arts and crafts and heritage-related trades. - Youth and sports objectives (PRSP II): - (i) address the specific needs of youths; and (ii) promote high-level competition sports. - Youth actions: - Creation of several counseling centers addressing drugs, STDs, HIV/AIDS, and clandestine migration. - Training of outreach officers, trainers in peer education, and peer counselors (over 500 officers and counselors trained). - Construction and rehabilitation of youth centers in Tidjikja, Atar, Aleg, and Selibaby. - Establishment of a national youth network. - Sports initiatives: - Organization of a National General Assembly on youth and sport. - Training of 80 physical education and sports (EPS) class teachers for secondary schools and universities. - Building of a multisports stadium in Kaédi and a stadium in Nouadhibou (turf being laid as part of the FIFA GOAL project). - Development and outfitting of a sports facility for women’s sports by the Olympic Complex Office. - Upgrading the Olympic Complex Office to FIFA standards. ### Promoting women and gender equality - PRSP II plans for women, early childhood, and social protection: - (i) boost women’s participation in the economy; (ii) improve access for women to basic social services; (iii) promote women’s right to political and social participation; (iv) develop behavioral change strategies; (v) build the department’s institutional capacity; (vi) improve supply and quality of early childhood education and care for children with special needs; (vii) develop a national social protection strategy; and (viii) provide better medical care and education to vulnerable groups and enable their integration and socioeconomic development. - Progress and indicators: - 50.4 percent of primary school enrolment are girls. - 18 percent of members of parliament are women (Senate and National Assembly). - 30 percent representation of women in municipal councils. - In 2007 several women assumed positions such as hakems and walis; 20 percent of ministerial portfolios were occupied by women in 2009. - Areas needing progress: secondary and tertiary education, literacy, employment, eradication of genital mutilation and early marriages. - GER in secondary schools: 28.4 percent for girls, compared with 32.8 percent for boys. - Enrolment of women in tertiary education is under 25 percent. - Illiteracy affects 45.6 percent of women. - Unemployment affects 42 percent of women. - Female circumcision and early marriages remain widespread. ### Child welfare policy - Actions implemented: - Adoption in 2006 of a national child welfare development policy. - Improvement of preschool education coverage: 7 percent in 2009 as against 5 percent in 2005. - Construction and equipment of premises for the Early Childhood Training Center. - Recruitment and training of a core of trainers; training of 485 kindergarten caregivers and 250 community kindergarten teachers. - Construction/rehabilitation and buildout of 16 regional early childhood resource centers. - Opening of 23 public kindergartens and development of a national preschool program custom designed for Mauritanian children. - Creation and outfitting in 2007 of a center for protection and social integration for children victims of VEDAN. - Construction of a center for integration and readaptation of children who have run afoul of the law. - Execution of a program to compensate and integrate 463 former child jockeys working in the United Arab Emirates and support for strengthening basic social services in their places of origin. - Regulatory framework strengthening: - Adoption of an ordinance for the suppression of crimes against children. - Training of judges, court officers, and social workers. - Creation of a police division to deal with minors. - Drafting and adoption of a decree establishing alternative measures to the detention of minors. - Box: Early childhood welfare — key indicators and concerns: - Infant mortality rate: 122 for every 1000 births in 2007 (MICS 2007). - Only 7 percent of children in the 3-6 year age group have access to education and preschool child care. - MICS 2007 estimates: 16.4 percent of children between 5 and 14 work; over 100 children live in the streets sometimes or always; 6 percent of beggars are children. - Legislative actions cited: Law N° 2007-042 of September 3, 2007 making slavery a crime; Ordinance N° 2005-015 of December 5, 2005 for the prosecution of crimes against children; Law N° 2003-025 of July 17, 2003 to punish crimes of human trafficking. - International instruments ratified include: Convention on the Rights of the Child; Additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime; ILO Convention No. 138 (1973); ILO Convention No. 182 (1999); the African Charter for the rights and welfare of the child; Protocol on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Establishing an African Court of Human and Peoples Rights. - Recommendation noted: inclusion of early childhood in the social protection strategy. ### Social protection - SNPS objectives and approach: - Develop a national social protection strategy (SNPS) reflecting the multidimensional nature of social protection. - Continue work on social action and safety nets for the most vulnerable and pave the way for mechanisms for risk sharing in health. - PRSP II objectives: - (i) evaluate and revise the existing legal framework to promote and protect rights of vulnerable groups; (ii) develop infrastructure centrally and equitably enabling rural areas to benefit; (iii) strengthen coordination among social actors; and (iv) improve capacities of deconcentrated social services. - Actions implemented: - Expansion of infrastructure for children with special needs (schools and centers for the blind and deaf mute) and enrolment of 500 handicapped children. - Capacity building for associations catering to the handicapped and distribution of material: 500 wheelchairs, 200 crutches, 200 white canes. - Care for the sick and indigent. ### Universal access to basic services - PRSP II objective: - Support development policies for telecommunications, ICTs, electricity, water, and sanitation through policies and programs aimed at improving access, especially for poorer populations and areas. - Actions and infrastructure noted for 2006–2010: - Setting up 14 thermal power plants and 7 others being built in several locations throughout the country. - Decentralized rural electrification (solar kits) in 24 communes with installation and project management of over 4,320 solar kits. - Building of 5 functional platforms in 5 locations in Brakna. - Setting up of 53 AEP networks in several wilayas. - Outfitting of 42 wells. - Continuation of construction and connection works on 42 water towers. - Setting up of 4 GMPES booths in 4 locations. - Creation of an Internet access and training center in El Mina. - Invitations to bid for construction of stretches of unpaved roads linking Néma to Oualata and for stretches of unpaved roads between Koubeni, Medbougou, Voulanya, Touil, and Tintane. *Source: Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review* ### 2.141 The following strategic approaches had been established under PRSP II: (i) strengthening ### The following strategic approaches had been established under PRSP II: (i) strengthening ### Strategic approaches (overview) - Eight strategic approaches established under PRSP II: (i) strengthening the rule of law; (ii) improving environmental governance; (iii) building government capacity; (iv) support for decentralization; (v) effective management of public resources; (vi) capacity building for civil society; (vii) promoting communication; and (viii) promoting a participatory approach. - Since 2008, these approaches were strengthened as a result of the firm resolve of the President of the Republic to make good governance a major focus area for government authorities’ action. ### a. Strengthening the rule of law - Electoral and political freedoms: - Multiparty and transparent presidential, legislative, and municipal elections held over the last five years. - Many parties recognized, including ones previously prevented from activity. - Introduction of voting by Mauritanians resident abroad. - Establishment of an Independent National Elections Commission (CENI) which successfully oversaw presidential, legislative, and municipal voting. - Voters’ lists and election results published on the Internet; reliance on local and foreign observers. - National unity and social cohesion: - Measures to settle humanitarian issues from 1989 events: signing of memoranda of understanding between government authorities and eligible beneficiaries, and with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. - Organization of return and reintegration of Mauritanians displaced beyond the country’s borders. - Law 2007-048 of September 3, 2007 outlawing slavery and punishing slavery-like practices. - Implementation of a Program to Eradicate the Legacy of Slavery (PESE) financing specific projects to improve living conditions and enable sustainable integration of vulnerable communities. - Justice system reforms and capacity building: - Adoption of laws on slavery-like practices as a crime, illegal trafficking of migrants, main procedural provisions and special statuses, and a decree creating legal aid offices. - Recruitment of judges and court registrars; establishment of a National School of Administration, Magistracy, and Journalism (ENAJM). - Decrees on structure and operation of legal aid offices and rate schedules for legal fees; creation of legal aid clinics in judicial subdivisions; distribution of satchels for judges. - Improvements in institutions for juvenile justice, detention conditions for minors, and reintegration mechanisms. - Construction of four departmental courts in Nouakchott; construction of the seat of the Supreme Court; construction of the court house in Kiffa; resumption of work on Nouadhibou and Aleg court houses. - Strengthening monitoring through an Inspectorate General at all levels of the legal and judicial system. - Human Rights: - Set up a National Human Rights Commission; reports published regularly. - Revision of legal texts establishing the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) to strengthen capacity and upgrade it to international standards. - Parliamentary accountability: - Parliament’s capacities strengthened through increased budgetary resources, targeted support projects by development partners, and the setting up of a High Court of Justice to apply penalties to members of parliament guilty of breaches in the course of duty. ### b. Improving environmental governance - Thematic coverage: (i) including the environmental dimension in public policies; (ii) strengthening institutional and regulatory framework; (iii) stanching loss of natural resources; (iv) institutional reform; (v) climate change; (vi) biodiversity; and (vii) international commitments. - Mainstreaming environment into public policies: - Comprehensive analysis of environmental governance across ministerial departments; proposals for institutional and legal reforms (directives for integration of the environment in public policies, revision of the framework law on the environment). - Capacity building for environmental assessment stakeholders. - Drafting the first agendas 21, tools for planning sustainable development activities at the moughataa scale. - Stanching loss of natural resources: - Economic analyses of promising forestry subsectors to identify non-wood forestry products in Guidimaka and Hodh El Gharbi. - Set up a national branch office of the Mauritania-Senegal Regional Biodiversity Project to implement development plans for classified forests, wetlands, and forestry pasture trails; support income-generating activities and promote forestry by-products. - Institutional reform and planning: - Establish a ministerial department in charge of the environment, later expanded to sustainable development. - Adoption of the National Environmental Action (PANE), the National Sustainable Development Strategy (SNDD), and an action plan for risk and natural disaster management. - Strategic environmental and social assessment of activities in the oil industry to influence timing of the next program schedule. - Climate change: - Implementation of the National Adaptation Action Plan; launch of the priority project to support adaptation of agricultural production systems vulnerable to climate change. - Special emphasis on preserving Nouakchott against encroaching sand and flooding. - Biodiversity: - Annual campaigns to combat brush fires; Mauritania-Senegal biodiversity work in the form of inventories and mapping. - International commitments discharged: - Participation under the fourth Operational Phase (OP 4) of the GEF Small Grants Program, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biodiversity, the Montreal Protocol, and the Kyoto Protocol. - Participation of a high-level delegation in the Copenhagen Summit in December 2009. ### c. Building public administration capacity - Main objectives in PRSP II second action plan: (i) strengthen institutional and organizational framework; (ii) ensure optimal management of the government’s human resources; (iii) improve quality of service to the public. - Key actions 2006-2010: - Start of restructuring the civil service following the civil service head count. - Strengthening human resources in education, health, and customs administration. - Adoption and enforcement of special statuses for National Security and Civil Protection staff. - Revision of the status of university lecturers to promote scientific research. - Publication online of the list of administrative formalities, public service portals, and the government’s electronic platform. - Preparation of a list of specifications for an integrated government staff management system. - Recruitment and training (still underway) of 500 government employees at ENAJM to fill upcoming retirements in several civil service sectors. - Additional modernization measures: - Modernizing territorial administration: construction of residences for administrative authorities, premises for the Prime Ministers Office, ministries and government agencies financed from the central government budget or partnerships. - Start of programs to modernize the Administrative Command Network (RAC). - Renewal of the motor vehicle fleet and increased appropriations for operations. ### d. Efficient and transparent management of public resources - Main objectives in PRSP II: (i) improve efficiency and transparency in management of public resources; (ii) explicitly include tackling corruption, misappropriation of public resources, and citizen–government relations in public policies. - Fiscal programming and execution measures: - Parliament to present and adopt annual laws and regulations. - Pursue reforms to deconcentrate functions of authorizing officers, financial controllers, and accountants across central and regional entities. - Development of an integrated government finance information system. - Creation of a pilot Economic Program Monitoring Technical Committee (CTSPE) at the BCM to improve collaboration and exchanges among stakeholders reporting economic data and to build capacity across government finance agencies. - Asset and tax management reforms: - Set up an accrual accounting system. - Restructuring land ownership. - Tax administration reforms including creation of a large taxpayer bureau, change to a functional administration based on taxpayer size, improved taxation of the informal sector, reduced tax rates, partial or full exemption for pharmaceuticals and staples, and cuts in rates on various types of income. - Public administration rationalization: - Purged hundreds of phantom positions following head count and cross-checking exercises. - Transfer of vehicles previously assigned to government employees. - Restructuring of housing and other allowances allocated to civil servants. - Establishment by decree of allowances and perquisites for administrators of public institutions and semipublic companies. - Restructuring diplomatic representations enabling redeployment of diplomatic posts for greater presence and cost savings. - Revenue improvement and transparency: - Revision of agreements with mining and oil companies increased the country’s share in revenues from copper and gold mining. - National Committee on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) published its 2006 report and began preparing audit reports on FY07 and FY08 to inform the public on revenues collected and their use. - Procurement and control institutions: - Draft law embodying the Government Procurement Code adopted, initiating major procurement reform. - Strengthening human and other resources of control organs: Court of Auditors (statutes reviewed to increase independence and boost number of chambers), Government Inspectorate, Inspectorate General of Finance, and internal inspection units of ministries. - Treasury collected large sums of money and several important cases were prosecuted, signaling no impunity and improved public finance management. - Anti-corruption: - Significant efforts to punish proven misappropriation or mismanagement and conduct awareness campaigns. - Adoption of The National Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption (SNLC) with a detailed action plan toward eventual elimination of corruption. - Law on financial transparency in public life adopted in 2007 requiring public officials managing public resources to declare assets; initial implementation yielded no results due to under-resourced implementing commission; government reviving the commission for sustainable implementation. ### e. Decentralization - Decentralization a major PRSP II direction due to the role of decentralized stakeholders in economic and social development. - Key milestones: - Adoption on April 22, 2010 of the “Decentralization and Local Development Policy Declaration” by the Council of Ministers, reaffirming political resolve to make decentralization irreversible. - Declaration to be incorporated into the Territorial Local Government Code; a draft of the Code completed. - Continued efforts to increase appropriations to the Regional Development Fund (FRD) to improve financial transfers to communes. - Greater involvement of communes in selecting investments for their territories and strengthened monitoring roles as project owners or beneficiaries. - Land use planning and development advances: - Adoption and enactment of the framework law on land use planning and development. - Drafting of regulatory provisions and setting up agencies provided for in the framework law, including the National Observatory on Land Use Planning and Development. - Launch of the Interim Program for Joint Development of the Karakora Basin. - Launch of a pilot support program for sedentarisation, specifically in Hodh el Gharbi. ### f. Building capacity for civil society - Civil society organizations grew significantly and increasingly involved in government economic and social initiatives; their role as countervailing force and monitor gaining acceptance. - PRSP II action plan objectives: - Build civil society capacity, revising approval procedures. - Ensure actual implementation of the NGO Support Fund (FAPONG). - Develop and implement a broad-based capacity building program. - Provide technical and logistical support to the civil society Cyberforum. - Implemented actions: - Developing a civil society strategy. - Setting up or consolidating civil society capacity building programs (PASOC, FAPONG, etc.). - Modernizing the legal framework for civil society by drafting additional provisions to establish appropriate legal remedies. ### g. Promoting communication - Recognition of communication’s importance to consolidating the rule of law and embedding good governance. - Second PRSP action plan aimed at pooling, organizing, and coordinating all national efforts to promote communication. *Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review — extracted content from the provided chapter/section.* ### 2.173 In this area, the efforts undertaken involved the: (i) establishment of the Press and ### PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review — Excerpts (Sections 2.173–2.211) ### Media and communication efforts (Section 2.173) - Establishment of the Press and Audiovisual High Authority (HAPA). - Adoption of several legal and regulatory provisions (press freedom, liberalization of the electronic media, public assistance for the press, press cards, etc.). - Launch of the process of opening up government-owned media to political parties and civil society. - Setting up a second television station (TVM-Plus). - Conversion of the second station of Radio-Mauritanie into a rural radio station for awareness raising and outreach to promote development. - Establishment of Radio Koran. - Continuation and increase of printing subsidies for newspapers. - Organization of briefing sessions for journalists. - Support of organizations representing media workers. - Setting up of focal points in charge of communication in all ministerial and similar departments. ### Promoting a participatory approach (Sections 2.174–2.178) - Rationale: - (i) contribution to creating a climate of good governance; - (ii) role in maximizing Mauritanians’ full potential; - (iii) enhancing the impact of public policies. - Government intention under PRSP II: deepen participatory process at central, regional, and local levels. - Implementation outcomes: - Institutional changes during 2006-2010 hindered proper functioning of participatory drafting for annual PRSP implementation reports. - The sole implementation report covering 2006-2007 was completed using a participatory approach involving central government, territorial administrations, communes, civil society organizations, the private sector, resource persons, and development partners via CTS, TTGs, consultation committees, and interregional workshops. - The comprehensive review covering the entire PRSP II period was drafted using the same participatory approach and culminated in a National General Conference in February 2011, which was open for the first time to political parties. ### Focus Area 5 — Stronger leadership, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination (Sections 2.179–2.200) #### Overall assessment (2.179–2.180) - PRSP action plans since 2001 did not yield notable progress in monitoring and evaluation despite defined mechanisms. - Lack of progress prevents government agencies and policy makers from making necessary adjustments to development actions, policies, and strategies. - Design phase of 2006-2010 PRSP emphasized appropriate measures to better grasp effectiveness of government action. #### Institutional mechanism (Sections 2.181–2.185) - New strategic focus area in PRSP II: strengthen leadership, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination; measures adopted included: - (i) establish a TTG dedicated to monitoring and evaluating PRSP implementation; - (ii) develop a National Statistical Development Strategy that includes monitoring and evaluation indicators for the PRSP and the MDGs. - Decree 2007-103 adopted to set composition of institutional mechanism for designing and monitoring the PRSP, providing for leadership, coordination, and monitoring/evaluation with clearly defined boundaries. - Operational shortcomings: - Mechanism did not operate regularly; limited to one-off instances when PRSP implementation review and monitoring documents were produced. - Persisting weaknesses: (i) lack of regular updates of reporting tools; (ii) lack of a monitoring and evaluation culture in departments; (iii) non-binding role of the PRSP in sectoral programming; (iv) lack of stakeholder ownership. - Main causes of dysfunction: - (i) lack of regularity in CTS and TTG operations, hampered by constant reshuffling of staff and changes in ministerial configurations; - (ii) inefficiencies of monitoring and evaluation staff; - (iii) a data system based on often too-generic and hard to enter indicators; - (iv) insufficient operationality of existing sectoral planning and monitoring staff. - Additional causes: - (i) local governments and deconcentrated staff practically absent from institutional evaluation mechanism; civil society interest is still fragile; - (ii) administrative data systems are weak and not an operational priority despite mention in statistical development strategy; - (iii) no system in place for establishing genuine benchmark scenarios before implementing policies, programs, and projects. #### Monitoring and evaluation system (Sections 2.186–2.189) - Results for 2006-2010 are weak across three components: (i) PRSP implementation; (ii) poverty monitoring; (iii) PRSP evaluation. - Intended monitoring of PRSP II to cover: - (i) changes in allocations of credits, including how much was used and how it was used; - (ii) implementation status of planned activities; - (iii) degree of achievement of established objectives based on indicator monitoring. - Actual practice: - Activity monitoring was not systematic and mostly restricted to ad hoc missions prompted by development partners, adversely affecting PRSP implementation report quality. - Of the 253 indicators selected for monitoring PRSP, only 38 percent of them had been filled in for the reference year established as 2004. - Low indicator completion attributable to low relevance and ill-suitedness of certain indicators to the national context and failure of the national statistical system to fill them in. #### Reporting tools (Sections 2.190–2.191) - Proposed reporting tools in PRSP II: - (i) resource monitoring tables; - (ii) quarterly sectoral priority action monitoring log; - (iii) quarterly background paper and interim report; - (iv) annual PRSP implementation report; - (v) evaluation reports on the impact of the PRSP. - Implementation reality: - Only one Implementation Report was drawn up in 2008, covering the period 2006-2007. - Shortcomings in monitoring led to implementation of many actions not provided for in PRSP II, to the detriment of some priority actions. #### Coordination (Sections 2.192–2.197) - Intended coordination objectives: - (i) streamline Government-TFP dialogue mechanism; - (ii) strengthen programming and management of government finances (including procurement procedures); - (iii) improve coordination of development partners and harmonization of their procedures; - (iv) focus on monitoring and evaluation–related aspects. - Assessment: - Government action coordination assessed as weak and restricted to drawing up sectoral action plans since early 2006. - Regional Poverty Reduction Committees unable to coordinate development actions at regional level due to lack of a proper operation plan for PLRPs. - Streamlining Government-TFP dialogue produced several meetings: - Advisory Group for Mauritania in December 2007; - meetings of Arab and Islamic donors in March 2008; - Brussels Round Table in June 2010 with preparatory meetings including November 2010 mentioned. - Programming and financial management: - Despite preparation of PRSP II, a comprehensive MTEF in 2007, a PIP and budget laws, there was no proper alignment between these programming instruments; intention to correct during PRSP III preparation and other programming instruments (MTEF, PIP, LFI). - Several reforms initiated in coordination with TFPs to be addressed in a government finance blueprint. - Legal and anti-corruption developments: - Law establishing the Government Procurement Code was enacted. - National Anti Corruption Strategy was adopted by the Council of Ministers. - Revision work on the Investment Code is at an advanced stage. - Coordination/harmonization with development partners: despite partners’ determination, considerable work remains. #### Making the PRSP operational (Sections 2.198–2.200) - Intended actions to operationalize PRSP II: - (i) ongoing updating of sectoral and thematic reports to align with PRSP guidelines; - (ii) making PRSP operational at regional level through PRLPs; - (iii) making PDCs operational to implement PRLPs at commune level. - Outcomes: - Apart from drafting and updating some PRLPs and PDCs, no meaningful progress made. - PRSP does not yet allow for ex-ante impact assessment of envisaged reforms to better guide public expenditure or identify poor population subgroups targeted for poverty reduction. ### The Millennium Development Goals — State of play (Sections 2.201–2.211) #### General overview (2.201–2.204) - Mauritania acceded to the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and incorporated the MDGs into development policies and programs; MDG targets established for 2015 coincide with PRSP implementation period (2001-2015). - Achievement hampered by: - (i) international crises (food and energy crisis, financial crisis, global warming crisis); - (ii) institutional changes in the country during this period; - (iii) problems of low capacity in successive governments; - (iv) lack of alignment of programming tools (PRSP, MTEF, PIP, and LFI). - Progress status: - Some MDGs poised to be achieved; other targets progressing but insufficient; some areas require change of direction and intensified efforts. - MDG 2 (universal primary education) likely reachable given net enrolment ratio improvements from 48 percent in 1990. #### MDG Education indicators (Table 2.4 — Provisional MDG Report - March 2010) - N° 2.1 Net enrolment ratio in primary education: - 1990: 49% - 1993: 51% - 1996: 62,6% - 2000: 65% - 2002: 68% - 2003: 70% - 2004: 71% - 2006: 72,2% - 2007: 76,7% - 2008: 71,6% - N° Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade of primary: - 1990: 73,8% - 1993: 74% - 1996: 64% - 2000: 59% - 2002: 45,3% - 2003: 47,3% - 2004: 48% - 2006: 46,5% - 2007: 49,3% - 2008: 58,5 % - N° 2.3 Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds, women and men: - 1990: 45,8% - 1993: 46,7% - 1996: 48,3% - 2000: 56,4% - 2002: 58,9% - 2003: 60,1% - 2004: 69.7% - 2006: 63,7% - 2007: 57,6% - 2008: 77.5% #### Other MDG achievements and gaps (Sections 2.205–2.211) - Education: - Girl/boy parity in primary education improved from 0.72 in 1990 to parity achieved in 2000/2001 (component of objective 3). - Water: - Proportion of population with access to an improved drinking water source could reach 74 percent in 2015, up from 37 percent in 1990, aligning with MDG Goal 7. - Health (MDG Goal 6): - Indicators on HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis show these diseases are no longer progressing and reversing expansion is possible. - Areas with insufficient progress (2009 MDG report): - (i) Poverty reduction reduced from 57 percent in 1990 to 42 percent in 2008. - (ii) Girl/boy parity in secondary schools not yet achieved: 33 percent for boys versus 28 percent for girls in 2008. - (iii) Participation of women in policy making improved since 2006 but needs further work. - Critical health shortfalls: - Child mortality rate: 122‰ in 2007; target for 2015 is 45‰. - Maternal mortality ratio: 686 per 100,000 live births; target for 2015 is 232. - Contraception prevalence rate for married women 15–49 years: 9 percent in 2008; target was 100 percent. #### Health-sector diagnosis and recommended measures (Box 2.5) - Health-sector concerns: - High maternal mortality: 686 deaths per 100,000 live births (2007); target 232 by 2015. - High child mortality: 122 deaths per 1,000 births (2007); target 45 by 2015. - Contraception prevalence for married women 15–49 years: 9 percent in 2008; target 100 percent. - Factors explaining high maternal mortality: - (i) home deliveries without specialized assistance; national home delivery rate estimated at 39,2 percent; - (ii) insufficient technical support at all levels; - (iii) early pregnancies, pregnancies at close intervals, and repeated pregnancies; - (iv) illiteracy and poverty; - (v) low access to high quality maternal care for at-risk pregnancies, especially where Caesarian section is needed. - Measures already taken: - Establishment of the mother and child hospital center; - Application of an obstetrical flat fee across the board; - Establishment of the National Reproductive Health Program (PNSR); - Inclusion of contraceptives in the list of essential medicines; - Celebrating RH week since 2003; - Capacity building for family planning service providers. - Main measures planned or recommended to improve maternal and child health: - (i) better functional geographical coverage of health facilities to reach most remote or isolated locations; - (ii) managing fertility (availability of resources and trained personnel); - (iii) availability of medicines and qualified caregivers to tackle leading causes of maternal mortality, especially hemorrhaging and eclampsia; - (iv) enhanced anti-malaria prophylaxis for pregnant women; - (v) free treatment where there are signs of malnutrition during prenatal examinations; - (vi) intensification of IEC activities to address behaviors linked to social gender relationships; - (vii) training for surgeons and their assignment to health facilities. - Child mortality priorities: - (i) reducing poverty and malnutrition; - (ii) making immunization programs effective and universal, with better participation of population groups and better monitoring and periodic evaluations; - (iii) availability of services adapted to children’s needs including pediatric emergencies, pediatricians, infrastructure, equipment, and treatment of main causes (IRAs, diarrheas, malaria); - (iv) active involvement of communities and use of IEC techniques to promote positive behavioral change; - (v) improved prevention via changes in children’s environments and hygiene, notably improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation. - Reproductive health access barriers: - (i) unhelpful mindsets in certain religious milieux; - (ii) unavailability of contraceptives; - (iii) low technical capabilities of service providers; - (iv) lack of IEC; - (v) lack of interest from civil society in addressing these issues. - Future focus: - (i) continue and consolidate measures already taken, especially for the most vulnerable; - (ii) intensify awareness raising campaigns on the importance of reproductive health. *Source: Volume 1: PRSP 2006-2010 Post Implementation Review (sections 2.173–2.211).* ### Annex 1: Summary table of the main reforms implemented in the period 2006-2010 ### Annex 1: Summary table of the main reforms implemented in the period 2006-2010 ### 1. Fiscal policy - Promulgation of a new Government Procurement Code (2010); - Further deconcentration of the functions of authorizing officers, financial controllers, and accountants in all central government and regional entities; - Development of an integrated government finance information system; - Drafting of a template for budget forecasting and universal application of the MTEF; - Modernization of the tax administration and reform of the tax system; - Rewriting of the legal provisions; - Revision chart of the Government Chart of Accounts and the introduction of an accrual accounting system; - Amendment of the government accounting regulations in 2006; - Limits imposed on recourse to exceptional procedures for public expenditures (2007 MOF order); - Performance assessment of government finance management in 2008 (PEFA); - Splitting the Ministry of the Economy and Finance into two separate departments; - Restructuring (still underway) of the government payroll to eliminate phantom positions, redundancies and the perquisites afforded to certain government employees; - A head count of government officials and employees and efforts to reconcile the civil service nominal roll with the payroll; - Elimination of the government’s water and electricity grants to employees, replacing them with a lump-sum allowance for eligible government officials; - Discontinuing fuel and vehicle maintenance expenses in the government budget and replacing them with a transportation allowance for all officials; - Rescindment of all housing agreements, starting in July 1, 2010, and payment of a non-housing allowance to all officials. ### 2. Monetary policy and financial sector reform - Continuation of a prudent monetary policy to control inflation; - Improve and diversify credit mechanisms; - Improve banking services penetration by increasing access to financial services, transparency of information, and by developing means of payment; - Organizing operations on the currencies market; - Lowering of the repurchase rate for Treasury bills from 14 percent to 12 percent in October 2007 and from 12 percent to 9 percent in November 2009; - Setting up of a Monetary Policy Board chaired by the Governor of the BCM and entrusted with setting monetary policy; - Restructuring of the monetary policy operational framework with adoption of a new set of regulations and a new manual of procedures; - Creation of new intervention instruments (BCM bonds, Certificates of deposit, and Treasury bills) and expansion of the monetary market to all economic operators; - Creating BCM bonds to strengthen the operational independence of monetary policy by enabling the central bank to use its own securities to regulate liquidity; - Setting up of a Monetary and Fiscal Policy Coordination Committee; - Paying off of external commercial arrears; - Lifting since October 2006 of all restrictions on payments of current transactions; - Establishment in January 2007 of a foreign exchange market. ### 3. Development of the private sector and foreign trade - Entry into service of the ASYCUDA ++ system (2010) to increase revenues and universally apply procedures in all computerized offices; - Raising the threshold for lump sum taxation of industrial and commercial profits (BIC) from between 3 and 6 million ouguiya to a uniform threshold of 30 million ouguiya; - Simplification of rules of the minimum flat tax (IMF) with all companies subject to a uniform lump sum tax of 2.5 percent of turnover (2010); - Establishment of the tax on the BIC at 25 percent of commercial profits; - The lump sum system made declarative and not presumptive, with declarations using a simple form; - Promotion of regulation of consultations and trade negotiations by establishing the National Consultative Commission on International Trade (CNCCI); - Establishment of the National Steering Committee for the Economic Partnership Agreement; - Promulgation of the law on the standardization and promotion of quality; - Establishment of a national system for standardization, promoting quality and creation of new industrial units; - Establishment of an industrial information system; - Development of a program to restructure and upgrade industrial enterprises; - Establishment of legal provisions governing the registration of industrial activity; - Adoption of a decree establishing an Economic Enterprise Support Commission to support companies in difficulty and forestall bankruptcy; - Establishment of a handicrafts code and socioprofessional handicrafts organizations; - Drafting of the law on PPPs and revitalization of the Government-Private Sector Consultation Committee. ### 4. Mining sector - Improvement of the legal and regulatory framework, especially the 2008 Mining Law, revised in 2009, and its implementing regulations; - Institutional reform, including establishment of the Directorate of Mines Police. ### 5. Fisheries sector - Adoption of an ISPS code for the security of port facilities; - Signing of the maritime collective bargaining agreement. ### 6. Tourism, handicrafts, and trade sector - Setting up legal frameworks and institutional reforms for sector supervision; - Development of the 2007-2015 commercial strategy and tourism strategy. ### 7. Hydrocarbons sector (exploitation) - Promulgation of a hydrocarbons law creating the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNHY); - Adoption of a decree regulating licensing criteria for hydrocarbons processing; - Adoption of regulatory provisions establishing pricing elements for fuel and butane gas (decrees 2006-030 of April 28, 2006; 137-2008 of June 10, 2008; 2007/041 of February 1, 2007; 2009-024 of January 26, 2009). ### 8. Transport sector - Land transport: Drafting and distribution of a compendium of implementing provisions (orders) for Decree No. 2007-006 of January 5, 2009 on the Road Code; establishment of a Public Transport Corporation (STP) and adoption of its articles of incorporation. - Maritime subsector: Revision of the Ports Code; reform of the merchant marine. - Aviation subsector: Establishment in 2009 of Mauritania International Airlines, a government-owned airline. ### 9. Rural development - Drafting of two implementing provisions under the livestock and pastoral code. ### 10. Environment - Creation of a Ministry in charge of the Environment and Sustainable Development (succeeding the State Secretariat in charge of the Environment); - Adoption of the PANE and SNDD. ### 11. Water and sanitation sectors - Adoption of decrees implementing the water code; - Creation of an EPIC in charge of the operational aspects of sanitation. ### 12. Education sector - Overhaul of the regulatory framework for tertiary education; - Establishment of new tertiary institutions (ISET, ISCAE); - Launch of restructuring for initial teacher training based on an organizational audit of teacher training institutions. ### 13. Health sector - Development and adoption of the National Pharmaceutical Policy; - Development and adoption of a National Child Survival Strategy; - Development and adoption of the Integrated Strategy to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases; - Mutualization and risk sharing. ### 14. Social affairs, child welfare, and the family - Ratification of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its optional protocol; - Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); - Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; - Adoption of a gender strategy and framework law; - Establishment in 2008 of a national committee to fight against GBV, including FGM in 2008. ### 15. Islamic affairs, traditional education, and literacy sector - Adoption of the National Literacy Strategy (SNA). ### 16. Culture, youth, and sports sector - Review of the legal framework governing associative movement activities in culture, youth, and sports; - Adoption of the African Youth Charter; - Drafting of legal provisions for establishment of a fund to support development of culture, youth, and sports activities. ### 17. Urban development, housing, land use planning and development - Revision of regulatory provisions organizing the ADU; - Development and adoption of regulatory provisions governing land use planning and development; - Adoption of legal provisions regulating the architectural profession; - Drafting of a Construction Code and its implementing provisions; - Drafting and adoption of implementing provisions on Public Project Ownership; - Adoption of implementing provisions under the General Construction Regulations; - Revision of the law on property development; - Redesign and finalization of the institutional structure of BEIT EL MALE under the Twize social housing program; - Drafting of implementing provisions under the urban development code, including the RGUS. ### 18. Employment, vocational training, and new technologies - Revision of main legal provisions governing management of foreign labor; - Aligning government procurement and project execution procedures with LI specifications. ### 19. Food security - Reform of the consultation-coordination mechanism; - Creation of an independent agency to manage micro projects (Micro Projects Executive Agency–AEMP). ### 20. Human rights, humanitarian action, and relations with civil society - Adoption of Law 2007-048 of September 3, 2007 making slavery a crime and punishing slavery-like practices; - Signing of a memorandum of understanding between government authorities and individuals awaiting settlement of humanitarian claims; - Establishment of a National Human Rights Commission. ### 21. Justice - Promulgation of the law making slavery-like practices illegal; - Promulgation of the law on the illegal trafficking in migrants; - Revision of procedural provisions and special statutes (organization of the courts, civil and criminal proceedings, status of judges, and status of court registrars); - Drafting and adoption of the decree on the structure and operations of legal aid offices; - Drafting and adoption of the decree establishing legal fees; - Creation of legal aid clinics in judicial subdivisions; - Distribution of case loads for judges. ### 22. Homeland administration and decentralization - Study carried out on redrafting founding provisions of the Territorial Administration in 2008 to lead to a draft law; - Preparation of draft provisions on structural review of the Territorial Administration (roles/responsibilities, delimitation of administrative divisions); - Design of draft special statuses for personnel of the Territorial Administration emphasizing its role as territorial judge while preserving statutory rights; - Adoption of important legal provisions (illegal trafficking of migrants, legal aid offices); - Establishment of the CENI in 2009; - Return to constitutional order after the elections of July 18, 2009. ### 23. Communication - Adoption of a law on the liberalization of the electronic media; - Creation of the Press and Audiovisual High Authority (HAPA); - Establishment of Radio Koran. ### Annex 2: Public investment and financing program by sector 2006–2010 (in millions of UM) — key figures - Sector investments by year (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010): - Rural development: 7 423; 12 513; 17 769; 19 179; 12 994 - Industrial development: 9 165; 13 426; 14 979; 15 397; 13 123 - SNIM: 3 500; 3 500; 3 861; 4 938; 5 327 - Territorial development and land use planning: 31 136; 41 356; 90 885; 105 020; 112 418 - Human resources: 9 252; 12 409; 16 132; 16 318; 8 227 - Institutional development: 1 466; 2 571; 6 947; 7 339; 7 055 - Multispectral projects 1/: 7 258; 8 724; 9 700; 28 494; 15 022 - Total investment: 69 200; 94 500; 160 273; 196 685; 174 165 - Investment by implementing entity (2006–2010): - Central government: 42 613; 61 939; 90 286; 114 128; 100 294 - SONADER: 1 659; 3 552; 3 026; 2 048; 858 - Semipublic institutions: 21 428; 25 509; 63 099; 75 571; 67 687 - SNIM: 3 500; 3 500; 3 861; 4 938; 5 327 - Financing of Central Government investment (2006–2010): - Domestic resources: 22 062; 31 924; 40 448; 57 504; 50 618 - Grants: 6 204; 10 576; 20 686; 20 544; 15 286 - Loans (including Q.Grants): 14 347; 19 439; 29 153; 36 080; 34 390 - Financing of SONADER (2006–2010): - Domestic resources: 689; 652; 337; 306; 658 - Grants: 0; 0; 0; 0; 0 - Loans (including Q. Grants): 970; 2 900; 2 689; 1 742; 200 - Financing of Semipublic institutions (2006–2010): - Domestic resources: 5 464; 5 759; 9 179; 8 747; 13 766 - Grants: 87; 1 500; 4 040; 185; 1 935 - Loans (including Q.Grants): 15 877; 18 250; 49 880; 66 639; 51 986 - Financing of SNIM (2006–2010): - Savings: ..; ..; ..; ..; .. - Grants: 3 500; 3 500; 3 861; 4 938; 5 327 - Loans (including Q.Grants): 0; 0; 0; 0; 0 - Memorandum entry totals (2006–2010): - Domestic resources: 28 215; 38 335; 49 964; 66 557; 65 042 - External financing: 40 985; 56 165; 110 309; 130 128; 109 124 - Grants: 9 791; 15 576; 28 586; 25 667; 22 547 - Loans (including Q.Grants): 31 194; 40 589; 81 723; 104 461; 86 576 ### Annex 3: Progress in achieving the MDGs: Tracking the MDGs in Mauritania (1990-2010) — selected indicators and targets - Goal 1: Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty - Target 1.A: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day - Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day: 56,6% (Initial result); 42% (Current result); 28,3% (MDG goal in 2015) — Likelihood of achievement: Unlikely - Poverty gap ratio (Incidence x depth): 15,9% (Initial result); 6,1% (Current result) - Share of poorest quintile in national consumption: 4,6% (Initial result); 6,3% (Current result); 9,2% (MDG goal in 2015) - Target 1.B: Employment indicators - Employment to population ratio: na (Initial result); 27% (Current result); 100% (MDG goal in 2015) - Proportion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment: na (Initial result); 69,6% (Current result) - Unemployment rate: na (Initial result); 31,2% (Current result); <20% (MDG goal in 2015) - Target 1.C: Hunger - Prevalence of underweight children under-five years of age: 47% (Initial result); 39,4% (Current result); 23,5% (MDG goal in 2015) - Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education - Net enrolment ratio in primary education: 49% (Initial result); 73% (Current result); 100% (MDG goal in 2015) — Likelihood: Likely - Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade of primary: 73,8% (Initial result); 49,3% (Current result); 100% (MDG goal in 2015) - Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds, women and men: 45,8% (Initial result); 77.5% (Current result); 100% (MDG goal in 2015) - Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women - Ratio of girls to boys in primary education: 0.72% (Initial result); 1.02% (Current result); 1 (MDG goal in 2015) — Likelihood: Likely - Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament: na (Initial result); 19% (Current result); 50% (MDG goal in 2015) - Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality - Child-infant mortality rate (per 1000): 137 (Initial result); 122 (Current result); 45 (MDG goal in 2015) — Likelihood: Unlikely - Goal 5: Improve maternal mortality and reproductive health - Maternal mortality ratio (for every 100 000 births): 930 (Initial result); 686 (Current result); 232 (MDG goal in 2015) — Likelihood: Unlikely - Proportion of married women (15-49) using a contraceptive method: 5% (Initial result); 9% (Current result); 100% (MDG goal in 2015) - Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases - HIV/AIDS prevalence among population aged 15-49 years: 0.6% (Initial result); < 1% (Current result) — Likelihood: Likely - Of the total, number of deaths of children under 5 due to malaria: 6% - Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability - Proportion of land area covered by forest: 0.4% (Initial result); 0.2% (Current result) — Likelihood: Unlikely - CO2 emissions, total, (in Mt): 2.6 (Initial result); 2.6 (Current result) - Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected: na (Initial result); 0.6% (Current result) - Proportion of population using an improved drinking water source: 37% (Initial result); 62% (Current result); 82% (MDG goal in 2015) - Proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility: na (Initial result); 21,8% (Current result) *Source: Annex 1, Annex 2, and Annex 3 — Summary tables and indicators included in the PRSP 2006–2010 Post Implementation Review (Volume 1 and Volume 2).* ### 2004. During this period, the PRSP monitoring and evaluation system was not based— ### _cr11252 - 2004. During this period, the PRSP monitoring and evaluation system was not based— ### Introduction and context - Mauritania prepared a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the period 2001-2015, adopted by poverty reduction framework law 050/2001 on July 25, 2001. - The PRSP is implemented through action plans: first four-year plan 2001-2004; second five-year plan 2006-2010; third action plan covers 2011-2015. - The PRSP was prepared under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative and grounded in a broadly participatory process involving administration, elected officials, civil society, the private sector, and technical and financial partners. ### Monitoring and evaluation: evolution and reform - During 2004, the PRSP monitoring and evaluation system was not based—except for some general guidelines set out in the action plan—on any reference documents establishing a framework for monitoring and evaluation activities (division of labor, procedures for information sharing and reporting, standards for monitoring and evaluation, etc.). - For the most part, monitoring and evaluation was limited to preparing the annual status report (RMO). - Implementation of the first action plan was, however, subject to close monitoring and participatory evaluation via: - thematic technical groups (GTT), - stakeholder committees (government-civil society-private sector; government-donor), - interregional workshops and national consultative conference meetings on PRSP implementation. - This participatory monitoring process enabled regular annual progress reports on poverty monitoring and action plan implementation. - Based on experience, authorities adopted a new drafting and monitoring/evaluation methodology for the first action plan review, resulting in updated objectives and strategic guidelines used to prepare the second five-year action plan for 2006-2010. - A fifth cross-cutting pillar on steering, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination was added in the second action plan to enhance steering, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination. - In light of past experience, for PRSP III authorities decided to operationalize annual monitoring using a more relevant monitoring and evaluation system based on actual achievements. ### Preparation of PRSP III (2011-2015): drivers and objectives - Context for drafting PRSP III included: - (i) a new diagnosis of poverty from the 2008 EPCV household survey showing incidence, depth, and severity of poverty; - (ii) return to constitutional normality with the free and fair election on July 18, 2009 of a new President; - (iii) strong rallying of development partners at the Brussels Roundtable of June 22, 2010; - (vi) the World Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York marking 10 years since the Millennium Declaration. - PRSP action plan for 2011-2015 was prepared to implement the President’s Program and mobilize resources from development partners. - The participatory review resulted in: - (i) analysis of strengths and weaknesses of PRSP II implementation; - (ii) review of medium- and long-term objectives based on a new economic development vision; - (iii) preparation of the 2011-2015 action plan. - The plan seeks to consolidate PRSP II achievements while accelerating growth and redistribution to intensify poverty reduction and continue progress toward the MDGs. ### Vision for 2015 - Mauritania will be promoted as a modern country that is administratively and economically sound, decentralized, politically stable, and well-integrated into the concert of nations. - Each Mauritanian must be given access to: - (i) individual and political security from rule of law, accountability, participation, efficiency, and transparency; - (ii) education, vocational training, and paid employment; - (iii) quality medical care, preventive and curative; - (iv) basic food, including safe drinking water; - (v) a healthy natural environment. - Government action will be based on three pillars: (i) government reform to reclaim the State and correct administrative capacity weaknesses; (ii) structural, political, and strategic reforms to accelerate growth, reduce poverty, achieve food security, and protect the environment; (iii) respect for human principles including equity, participation, and transparency. ### Strategic pillars of PRSP III - PRSP III is based on five mutually reinforcing strategic pillars to achieve strong, sustained, poverty-reducing growth: 1. Accelerate economic growth: strengthen structural reforms; improve business climate; develop growth-supporting infrastructure; develop sources of growth. 2. Anchor growth in the economic environment of the poor: promote rural economic activity; achieve food security via coherent national policy; urban development; increase poor households’ access to appropriate financial services and SME promotion; develop environment as an economic resource; social protection for most underprivileged groups. 3. Develop human resources and facilitate access to basic infrastructure: promote education and training; develop health system and improve nutrition; job promotion; improve access to safe drinking water in rural areas; promote gender equity, protect child welfare, and implement a population policy; promote culture, youth, and sports; improve universal access to basic services. 4. Promote institutional development and good governance: enhance political and democratic governance; strengthen justice system and judiciary; consolidate territorial and local governance; strengthen economic governance; reinforce environmental governance; entrench public oversight practices; develop communications sector; capacity building for government stakeholders; promote participatory approach. 5. Improve implementation efficiency: emphasize steering, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination by implementing an optimal institutional mechanism; enhancing coordination, alignment, and harmonization; operationalizing PRSP III monitoring and evaluation. ### Priority objectives for 2011-2015 (exact targets) - Reduce the incidence of poverty to 25 percent, and rural poverty to 35 percent. - Raise per capita GDP to over USD 1374. - Raise the GDP growth rate to 4.7 percent. - Raise the investment rate (in percent of GDP) to 28.1 percent. - Contain the inflation rate at 5 percent. - Provide universal access to quality primary education for a minimum period of 9 years and reduce the illiteracy rate among adults aged 15 and over to 15 percent. - Provide 100-percent health coverage within a 5 km radius. - Reduce the infant mortality rate to 40 percent. - Reduce the infant-juvenile mortality rate to 55 percent. - Reduce the maternal mortality rate to less than 300 per 100,000. - Reverse the rising trend of the HIV/AIDS epidemic until its prevalence is no more than 1 percent in the general population. - Raise the rate of pipe-borne water hookups (in rural and urban areas) to 74 percent. ### Priority areas of intervention - Education, health, water works and sanitation, infrastructure, food security, and the environment. - Continued focus on rural areas and urban slums (priority areas identified in PRSP II that remain of concern). ### Cost and financing of the 2011-2015 action plan (exact figures) - Overall cost: UM 2,549,212.84 million, or USD 9,242.98 million. - Financing plan (Table 1 summary, exact figures): - Total amount in UM: 1 709 948,04 (PIP public) ; 839 264,80 (PPP private) ; 2 549 212,84 (Total) - Financing obtained: 696 172,79 (public) ; 112 240,00 (private) ; 808 412,79 — 32% - Financing required: 1 013 775,25 (public) ; 727 024,80 (private) ; 1 740 800,05 — 68% - Total amount in USD (1 USD = UM 275.8): 6 199,96 (public) ; 3 043,02 (private) ; 9 242,98 (Total) - Public/private breakdown: 67% 33% ### Implementation, monitoring, and evaluation: adjustments and system design - The first two PRSP action plans used an extensive matrix of indicators that were difficult to track due to many indicators lacking information. - Authorities adopted a new approach for operationalizing annual monitoring of PRSP III implementation: a more relevant monitoring and evaluation system based on actual achievements. ### Lessons learned from PRSP II (2006-2010) - Achievements (selected, exact descriptions preserved): - Progress in public finance: preparation of the MTEF; greater deconcentration of payment authorization and financial control; improvements in taxation (simplification of procedures and reduction of rates, creation of a Large Enterprise Directorate within the General Directorate of Taxes, revitalization of tax offices). - Civil service reform initiated (census of government workers; introduction of a new benefits system). - Justice system reform continued with new legislation (law condemning slavery practices, on illegal trafficking of migrants, revision of procedural texts and particular articles of law), capacity building for judicial personnel, increased access to justice through decrees establishing legal aid offices and governing legal fees. - Drafting and adoption of a national anti-corruption strategy to be implemented under PRSP III. - Launch of process to incorporate environmental issues in public policy. - Strengthening institutions monitoring public finance; implementation of the EITI Initiative; actions to improve investment climate; adoption of a new government procurement code. - Education: achievements at the primary level to be consolidated and expanded. - Health: achievements in combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis to be consolidated and sector budgetary resources increased. - Land-use management strides: opening isolated farming areas (Rosso-Boguee and Kaédi-Gouraye routes); ambitious safe drinking water programs (Aftout Essahili); slum rebuilding through housing construction (Hay Saken, El Mina in Nouakchott, and Nouadhibou); improved power supply via SOMELEC investments; urban sanitation and development projects. - Weaknesses (exactly as identified): - Failure to align programming tools (PIP, MTEF, initial budget law) with PRSP guidelines and objectives. - Shortcomings of the statistical information system and insufficient planning, monitoring, and evaluation capacity at the departmental level. - Failure of sectoral departments to take ownership of the process. - Poor execution of planned actions and measures and implementation of unplanned actions. - Inadequate mobilization of programmed financial resources. - Lack of coordination between central and regional government units. - Little involvement of local authorities in preparing regional strategies. - Low levels of participation by beneficiary populations in projects concerning them. - Project overlap in certain places and failure to seek synergies between interventions. - Overestimation of oil sector prospects leading to inappropriate public finance decisions difficult to reverse. - Absence of results-based management. *Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (Pages 86–92).* ### 1.8 Mauritania has some natural resource potential, which it can use to address the ### 1.8–1.39 Mauritania: natural resources, governance challenges, and strategic vision ### Natural resource endowment and economic sectors - Senegal River: offers great potential for land irrigation; irrigation being tapped with the building of several large dams within the framework of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS). - Livestock: Mauritania is a major livestock rearing country and would make itself self-sufficient in red meat. - Fisheries: - Industrial fisheries export 800,000 metric tons of fish per year. - Small-scale fisheries export 80,000 metric tons per year. - Mauritanian coast reputed to have one of the largest stocks of fish in the world. - Mining and hydrocarbons: - Exports of 11 million metric tons of iron ore in 2008; Mauritania is the second largest exporter of this mineral in Africa. - Considerable potential for gold, copper, phosphate, etc. - Mauritania has become a modest oil producer; current research suggests oil and gas prospects are promising. ### Developmental importance of resource management - Mauritania’s capacity to better manage its resources and distribute income generated will be a determining factor in economic and social development. ### Main obstacles and governance weaknesses - Economic governance and corruption: - International indicators (Doing business, Transparency International, etc.) place Mauritania in the group of countries requiring significant improvements in quality of governance. - Poor performance of public policy; need to improve governance in the administration and the justice system (inadequate laws, human resources, infrastructure, excessive red tape). - Local and territorial governance: - Reforms have had little or no economic or social impact on communes. - Institutional and organizational mechanisms are deficient; limited ability to mobilize resources, manage municipalities, or partner with civil society. - No land-use management plan in place to allow rational, balanced, equitable development and erase spatial inequalities. - Regional poverty reduction programs (regional breakdown of the PRSP) have not been implemented. - Dual economy structure: - (i) Modern economic structure (mines, extractive industries, fisheries): engine of growth, largely export-dependent, plays little or no role in redistribution of wealth. - (ii) Subsistence economy (rainfed agriculture, livestock, small-scale fishing): does not meet population’s food needs; main cause of rural poverty when performance is poor. - Informal sector and competitiveness: - Heavy tax burden, high cost of credit, and level of competition encourage informal activities in services with limited knock-on effects; employment impact concentrated in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, and Zouerate basins. - External dependence and vulnerability to shocks: - Official development assistance (ODA) represented about 12 percent of GDP in 2007. - Export concentration on a limited number of commodities (iron and other metals, fishery products, oil) whose price fluctuations destabilize public finances and balance of payments. - Structural food dependence persists despite substantial financing for rural development. - Private sector constraints: - Absence of an appropriate financial market for developing business initiatives. - Limited access to credit (at high interest rates), especially for SMEs. - Low levels of public and private saving, limiting banks’ ability to capture long-term resources to finance investment projects. - Absorptive capacity for foreign aid: - Insufficient owing to limited capacity, administrative red tape, laxism, corruption, impunity, and difficulties implementing Paris Declaration on ODA management (coordination, alignment, harmonization, ownership). - Annual rate of disbursement of public investment in Mauritania rarely exceeds 60 percent. - Infrastructure gaps: - Growth-supporting infrastructure (transport, electricity, ICTs) is lacking, constraining trade, increasing production costs, reducing attractiveness to foreign capital, and limiting competitiveness. - Environmental degradation: - Natural resource environment deteriorating from climate change, socioeconomic development, and population growth. - Degradation of ecosystems harms rural populations; decrease in biodiversity has seriously affected income-generating activities. - Poorest populations hardest hit and increasingly vulnerable to floods, droughts, and shocks that threaten subsistence and food security. - Environmental governance poor: Mauritania ranks 161st out of the 163 countries classified in the 2010 EPI index. ### Absorptive capacity: bottlenecks and effects (Box 1.1) - Definition: absorptive capacity is ability to disburse funds and implement projects and programs effectively. Inadequate absorption results in suboptimal use of ODA. - Identified bottlenecks at project/program identification and formulation: - No portfolio of available and researched projects; studies undertaken only after financing agreement signed. - Public investments not well programmed; lack of coordination between the PRSP, MTEF, PIP, and the initial budget. - Flawed national statistical system and lack of tools to monitor impact indicators; impossible to establish a baseline situation. - Human resources in departments not sufficiently skilled to prepare sectoral strategies, identify projects, and negotiate and mobilize financial resources. - Bottlenecks at project and program implementation stage: - In project management units: - Multiplicity of project management units that cannot all be supervised by the government. - Project managers’ ignorance of donor procedures leading to ineligible expenditure and time wasted. - Government procurement procedures involve much red tape and lack transparency causing delays and unreliable assessments. - Nonexistence of organization charts for projects leading to hirings that do not meet rational needs. - Lack of annual quantified objectives and an approved budget depriving projects of a planning reference framework. - In the administration (control of the work and product): - Delays in mobilizing the national counterpart. - Slow implementation of Paris Declaration recommendations, especially alignment and harmonization. - Failure to establish a culture of monitoring and evaluation practices in the administration. - In enterprises and executing agencies: - Limited capacity to master administrative and technical concepts of ITBs, especially for large infrastructure projects. - Dearth of technical, financial, and human capacity in enterprises needed to execute contracts. - Lack of expertise among auditors to conduct careful expense audits. - With respect to TFPs (technical and financial partners): - Mismatch between procurement practices of each partner and national procedures. - Unpredictability of aid given long decision-making processes for project approval. - Delays in obtaining no objection responses from TFPs during execution stages. - Lack of locally-based representation of certain partners complicating monitoring. - Bottlenecks at project monitoring/evaluation stage: - Inadequate physical monitoring system. - Flawed mechanism for financially monitoring projects. - Adverse effects of these bottlenecks: - Delays in project execution. - Cost overruns and reassessment of financial plans. - Expiry of grace periods before project completion. - Payment of commissions to secure credit that is never used. - Dwindling funding flows from donors. - Key recommended measures to improve absorptive capacity: - Establishment of a research fund to prepare, identify, and formulate projects and programs. - Implementation of Paris Declaration recommendations on harmonization of procedures and alignment of aid with national priorities. - Recruitment of a project team on basis of competency criteria using a performance contract and an evaluation of staffing needs. - Establishment of a financial, accounting, and technical framework for projects financed with external resources. - Preparation of annual work programs and budgets for projects. - Setup of a unit in the MAED to monitor auditing of projects financed with external resources. - Institutionalization of project monitoring/evaluation. - Capacity building for national enterprises through the TFPs on their staff and through partnerships with foreign enterprises. - Submission of a biannual report by the MAED to the Council of Ministers on ongoing investment projects. - Creation of a Government-Donor Committee to monitor implementation of financing intended for public investment programs. ### National vision, priorities, and strategic pillars - Overarching vision: consolidate national unity; promote economic and social development; improve living conditions of urban and rural populations; entrench democracy; pursue mutually beneficial regional and international cooperation. - Political context: - Return to political normalcy created a climate for democratic values; freedom of the press noted. - Political parties and labor unions operate openly. - Latest presidential elections judged free and fair by majority of national and international observers. - Security and ideology: - Determined to face terrorism, transborder crime, and illegal immigration; requires resources and skills in armed and security forces. - Efforts to demystify and rebut extremism through dialogues, seminars, and awareness programs. - Government approach and anti-corruption: - New approach to combat corruption demanding respect for public property and ending impunity. - Principal economic and social challenges to address: - Economic: food insecurity, vulnerability to external shocks, little diversification, inadequate transport infrastructure, dysfunctional public institutions, poor public expenditure management, lack of private sector competitiveness. - Social: reduction of inequalities, treatment of vestiges of slavery, rehabilitation of judicial system, consolidation of national unity, access to quality health and education services. - Environmental: effects of climate change; adoption of a development model incorporating environmental questions to ensure sustainable growth. - Desired image and objectives (President’s platform): - Modern country that is administratively and economically sound, decentralized, politically stable, and well integrated internationally. - Access each Mauritanian should have in a sustainable development context: - (i) Individual and political security; rule of law, accountability, participation, effectiveness, transparency. - (ii) Education, vocational training, and gainful employment. - (iii) Quality medical care, preventive and curative. - (iv) Basic foods, including safe drinking water. - (v) A healthy natural environment. - Three pillars of State action (summarized): - Overhaul government to improve its image and administrative capacity, including consolidation of institutions, strengthened judicial system, protection of rights and freedoms, strengthened pluralism and freedom of expression. - Implement structural reforms, policies, and strategies emphasizing accelerated growth, poverty reduction, food security, environmental protection; special attention to land-use management, use of natural resources, diversification, private sector environment, human resource development, job promotion, and access to basic social services. - Respect fundamental human principles: social and gender equity, participation of population and civil society in policy formulation/execution/monitoring, and transparency in public resource management procedures and tools. ### Strategic pillars of the PRSP (overview) - PRSP (2001–2015) initially based on four broad strategic pillars that are mutually reinforcing. - First pillar: accelerated economic growth as basis for poverty reduction, improved competitiveness, and reduced dependence on exogenous factors. - Contribution to poverty reduction: - (i) Direct and indirect effects (ripple effects) on creation of new jobs and income. - (ii) Subsequent impact on government fiscal revenue that could support directly pro-poor sectors. - Given Mauritania’s specialization in sectors that produce little or no ripple effects, the second effect (fiscal revenue enabling pro-poor support) will probably be greater in the short term. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 (excerpts from pages 93–97).* ### 1.40 The second pillar aims to develop the growth potential and productivity of the poor ### _cr11252 - 1.40 The second pillar aims to develop the growth potential and productivity of the poor ### Strategic pillars of the PRSP - Pillar 2: develop the growth potential and productivity of the poor by promoting sectors that directly benefit them and the areas where they are concentrated; based on public investment programs; aims to reduce inequalities and expand the resource base of the poor. - Pillar 3: develop human resources and improve access to basic services; in the long run will have the most significant effect on poverty via productivity and improved living conditions; access to education and health considerably reduces vulnerability of the poor. - Pillar 4: promote real institutional development based on good governance and full participation of all poverty reduction stakeholders. - Pillar 5: enhance steering, implementation, monitoring/evaluation, and coordination of the PRSP. - The third PRSP action plan for 2011-2015 reaffirms the relevance of the five strategic pillars and grounds them in the President’s election campaign platform. - Key design and implementation features for PRSP III include: - harmonization of PRSP actions with the President's campaign promises (good governance, reduction of poverty and exclusion, infrastructure development); - alignment of programming tools (PIP, MTEF, LFI); - constant search for ways of improving absorptive capacity; - implementation of an efficient system for project and program monitoring/evaluation. ### Overall objectives and implementation timeline - The PRSP spans 15 years, implemented in three stages: - stage 1: PRSP I (2001-2004); - stage 2: PRSP II (2006-2010); - stage 3: PRSP III (2011-2015). - Long-term general objectives set in 2001: - reduce the incidence of poverty to less than 25 percent by 2015; - reduce the incidence of poverty in rural areas to less than 35 percent; - raise GDP per capita to more than USD 2000; - provide universal access to quality primary education for a minimum of nine years; - reduce the adult literacy rate in the over-15 age group to less than 15 percent; - provide universal access to primary health care within a radius of 5 km; - reduce the infant mortality rate to less than 40 percent, the infant-juvenile mortality rate to less than 55 percent, and the maternal mortality rate to less than 300 per 100,000; - reverse the trend in the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic until its prevalence in the general population is less than 1 percent; - increase the supply of safe drinking water in rural areas to 65 percent; - raise the coverage of rural and semi-urban areas supplied with safe drinking water to 74 percent; - increase food self-sufficiency. ### Objectives and priority areas for 2011-2015 - Main objectives for executing the 2011-2015 action plan: - reduce the incidence of poverty to 25 percent and the incidence of rural poverty to 35 percent; - raise per capita GDP to over USD 1,374; - raise the GDP growth rate to 4.7 percent; - raise the investment rate (in percent of GDP) to 28.1 percent; - maintain the inflation rate at 5 percent; - provide universal access to quality primary education for a minimum of nine years; - lower the adult illiteracy rate in the 15+ age group to 15 percent; - provide 100 percent health coverage within a radius of 5 km; - reduce the infant mortality rate to 40 percent, the infant-juvenile mortality rate to 55 percent, and the maternal mortality rate to 300 per 100,000; - reverse the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to a prevalence of less than 1 percent in the general population; - increase hookups to pipe-borne water in rural and urban areas to 74 percent. - Policies and programs geared towards: - priority areas: education, health, water and sanitation system, infrastructure, food security, and the environment; - priority geographic areas: rural areas and urban slums. ### Cost, financing, and partnerships - Total financing required to implement the action plan: UM 2,549,212.84 million (namely USD 9,242.98 million). - Financing plan breakdown (in UM millions): - PIP (public): 1 709 948.04 - PPP (private): 839 264.80 - Total: 2 549 212.84 - Financing obtained/sought: - financing obtained: PIP 696 172.79; PPP 112 240.00; Total 808 412.79 — 32% - financing sought: PIP 1 013 775.25; PPP 727 024.80; Total 1 740 800.05 — 68% - Total amount in USD (1 USD = UM 275.80): - PIP: 6 199.96 - PPP: 3 043.02 - Total: 9 242.98 - Public/private ratio: 67% / 33% - Roles of stakeholders: - Government: regulation of economic activity, steering economic policies and development strategies, establishing conducive climate for economic opportunities. - Civil society: public policy dialogue, democratic debate, grassroots development, consumer protection. - Private sector: engine of growth, partnerships with international investors, competition. - Technical and financial partners (TFPs): assist development efforts and support strategic choices based on national priorities. - Institutional strengthening priorities: - Revitalize PRSP institutional mechanism structures (e.g., consultative committees on poverty reduction: CCLP, CCEDLP). - Implement new partnership modalities with development partners in the spirit of the Paris Declaration on ODA, including greater use of budget support over project assistance. ### Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) — Box summary - PPPs are an alternative financing method to broaden resources for government action and improve cost-effectiveness. - PPP forms envisaged include BOT (Build Operate Transfer), BLT (leasing contract with option to buy), leasing (delegated management). - PPPs can improve project bankability (securitization, investment guarantees, project asset guarantees, project funding guarantees). - Expected PPP benefits: provide infrastructure, reduce high cost of factors of production, improve business climate, enable government to target social sectors (education, health), and reduce public debt. - Authorities have begun reform to establish a regulatory framework specifically designed to develop public-private partnerships. ### Risk analysis and mitigation measures - Identified risk categories and government responses: - Exogenous shocks (commodity price drops, decline in foreign demand for main exports such as iron and fish, scarcity of international capital delaying mining and infrastructure projects): - Mitigation: strengthen social protection system; examine ways to establish more targeted systems; implement economic policies to reduce vulnerability while safeguarding macroeconomic stability. - Limited absorptive capacity of financing: - Risk: insufficient absorption could prevent optimal use of official development assistance and slow project execution. - Mitigation: set up an operational committee to monitor projects with tasks to (i) report on the development of a portfolio of projects; and (ii) propose measures to accelerate project execution; establish a research fund to guarantee project maturity. - Security risks (terrorist threats in sensitive areas): - Mitigation: define national strategy based on consolidation of national unity, promotion of economic and social development, political democratization, and regional/international cooperation. - Natural disasters and environmental risks (global warming, flooding, desertification, locust swarms): - Mitigation: draft and implement a new national strategy to reduce disaster-related risks, including an early warning system. - Lingering backward mentality, especially in rural areas (low education levels, sociocultural burdens, detrimental traditional practices including food taboos, practice of excision, domestic violence): - Mitigation: intensify awareness campaigns for information, education, and communication about dangers these practices pose to poverty reduction objectives and the MDGs. - Lack of ownership of PRSP by the administration: - Risk: failure of government agencies to use PRSP as a frame of reference for economic and social development by 2015. - Mitigation: comply with the framework law on poverty reduction 050/2001 of July 25, 2001; operationalize consultative frameworks (CTS, GTT, CTLP, etc.) and monitoring/evaluation mechanisms for PRSP III. ### Macro framework, growth determinants, and medium-term targets (Pillar 1) - 2010 outcomes and near-term estimates: - global nonoil growth in 2010 is estimated at 5.6 percent; - inflation is estimated 6.1 percent for 2010; - budget deficit excluding oil expected at 3 percent of nonoil GDP; - current account deficit should amount to 8.8 percent of GDP (as opposed to 12.5 percent in 2009); - foreign exchange reserves will amount to 2.5 months of imports at end-2010 (as opposed to 2.2 months at end-2009). - Medium-term government objectives for 2011-2013: - average annual GDP growth rate of 5.8 percent; - contain the inflation rate at 5 percent per year; - reduce the budget deficit, including grants, to 2.6 percent of nonoil GDP on average over the period; - raise foreign exchange reserves to the equivalent of almost 4 months of imports by 2015. - Growth profile for 2011-2015: - projected growth: 5.8 percent per year (profile described as conservative; excludes possible new oil exploration beyond the Chinguetti oilfield and impact of not-yet-fully-financed investment projects). - Sectoral contributions to growth (2011-2015): - Tertiary sector is the main determinant. - Transportation/telecommunications: 0.5 percent of growth (over the period). - Business/hotels: 0.7 percent of growth. - Banking and insurance services: 0.8 percent of growth. - Secondary sector is the second determinant (average contribution 2 percent): - SNIM output increase under Guelb II to over 15 million metric tons per year, accounting for 1 percent of growth; - construction and public works sector: average contribution of 0.5 percent via major investment projects in transport, urban development, and rural development; - resumption of operations of industrial plants: contribution of 0.4 percent, supported by SOMELEC recovery plan, increased water supply from Aftout Essahli Project, and better regulation of cost of factors of production. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (excerpts from PRSP III action plan text).* ### 2.7 The rural sector will account for 0.7 percent of overall growth, a clear improvement ### _cr11252 - 2.7 The rural sector will account for 0.7 percent of overall growth, a clear improvement ### Rural sector and sectoral growth contributions - The rural (primary) sector will account for 0.7 percent of overall growth for 2011-2015, an improvement on previous action plans (0.3 and 0.6 percent). - The sector will benefit from sectoral investment programs aimed at improving living conditions of the rural population, with particular emphasis on agriculture and pro-poor growth to reduce rural poverty. - Table 2.1 — Contribution to growth in percent: - Primary Sector: 2011: 0,6; 2012: 0,6; 2013: 0,6; 2014: 1; 2015: 0,8; 2011-2015: 0,7 - Secondary Sector: 2011: 1,8; 2012: 1,6; 2013: 2,5; 2014: 2,9; 2015: 1,1; 2011-2015: 2,0 - Tertiary Sector: 2011: 2,3; 2012: 2,4; 2013: 2,3; 2014: 2,7; 2015: 2,3; 2011-2015: 2,4 - Private Sector: 2011: 1,9; 2012: 2,1; 2013: 2,0; 2014: 2,5; 2015: 1,7; 2011-2015: 2,0 - Public Administration: 2011: 0,3; 2012: 0,3; 2013: 0,3; 2014: 0,2; 2015: 0,6; 2011-2015: 0,3 - Indirect Taxes: 2011: 0,6; 2012: 0,6; 2013: 0,8; 2014: 1,1; 2015: 0,5; 2011-2015: 0,7 - GDP at market prices: 2011: 5,2; 2012: 5,2; 2013: 6,2; 2014: 7,8; 2015: 4,7; 2011-2015: 5,8 ### Inflation, price risks, and monetary policy stance - Authorities will vigorously pursue inflation control combined with prudent monetary, fiscal, and exchange policy. - Actions include better regulation of domestic trade, consultation with stakeholders, and increasing/diversifying food production to reduce vulnerability to international food price shocks. - Food and oil prices may increase inflation risk; authorities will take measures to maintain the inflation rate at about 5 percent. - BCM reforms and monetary policy measures: - Securitization of BCM claims on the Treasury to increase money supply by about 7 percent over the period, as opposed to 16 percent over the previous period. - Implementation of a remote clearing system to enhance transparency of the interbank market and improve payment systems. - Flexible interest rate rollback policies; reduction of required reserve ratio could be explored; BCM will raise its lead rate at the first sign of inflationary pressure on the exchange market. - BCM capacity building: (i) human resource development; (ii) establishment of an integrated information system by end-2012; (iii) development of a central banking corporate culture within the BCM. - Opening the banking sector to foreign competition and adding new establishments (leasing, factoring, risk capital companies). - Move toward a more flexible exchange rate and modernization of the exchange market toward a delocalized interbank exchange market supervised by the Central Bank. ### External sector projections and balances - Merchandise trade balance is expected to yield a surplus of USD 163.7 million on average over 2011-2015, versus a deficit of USD 29.8 million over the previous period. - Excluding SNIM, the trade balance will register a deficit of USD 1,010.3 million. - The average current account deficit will improve to USD 253.4 million (2011-2015) from USD 363.3 million (2006-2010). - Exports are projected to rise from USD 1,569 million to USD 2,297 million on average between the two periods. - Net services and income deficit will worsen from USD 495 million to USD 581 million between the two periods, driven by: - Freight costs averaging an increase of 27.2 percent between the two periods owing to steady import rate. - Interest on the debt rising 194 percent (from an average of USD 4 million to USD 29 million). - The current account deficit over 2011-2015 will be mostly offset by: - Long-term official borrowing totaling USD 194 million per year. - Direct investment of USD 167 million per year, of which 27 percent will correspond to oil exploration investments. - The overall balance will register a surplus of USD 56 million over the period. - Table 2.2 — External Account, 2011-2015: - Trade Balance: 2011: 62.1; 2012: -4.9; 2013: 131.0; 2014: 293.3; 2015: 337.0; 2006-2010: -29.8; 2011-2015: 163.7 - Trade Balance, excluding SNIM: 2011: -1050.8; 2012: -1075.2; 2013: -1009.4; 2014: -1016.6; 2015: -899.7; 2006-2010: -684.2; 2011-2015: -1010.3 - Net Services and Income: 2011: -573.1; 2012: -580.8; 2013: -594.4; 2014: -583.8; 2015: -573.9; 2006-2010: -494.9; 2011-2015: -581.2 - Current Transfers: 2011: 191.805; 2012: 161.172; 2013: 147.101; 2014: 163.666; 2015: 256.828; 2006-2010: 161.2; 2011-2015: 164.1 - Current Balance: 2011: -319.2; 2012: -424.6; 2013: -316.3; 2014: -126.7; 2015: -80.0; 2006-2010: -363.3; 2011-2015: -253.4 ### Fiscal policy framework and public finances - Medium-term fiscal guidelines: continue measures to expand the tax base and strengthen tax and customs administration. - Measures aimed to increase tax revenue by 8 percent on average between 2011 and 2015. - Nontax revenue will increase by an average of 2.6 percent per year over 2011-2015, amounting to UM 82.4 billion versus UM 69 billion between 2006 and 2010. - Dividends from public enterprises expected to increase from UM 14 billion (2006-2010 average) to UM 22 billion per year (2011-2015), resulting from governance improvements and performance contracts. - Table 2.3 — Developments in public finance: - Revenue including oil and grants: 2011: 257.0; 2012: 255.9; 2013: 272.2; 2014: 280.9; 2015: 306.1; 2006-2010: 265.4; 2011-2015: 274.4 - Revenue, not including oil and grants: 2011: 227.3; 2012: 233.4; 2013: 249.4; 2014: 257.9; 2015: 282.5; 2006-2010: 180.2; 2011-2015: 250.1 - Tax revenue: 2011: 146.1; 2012: 156.8; 2013: 170.2; 2014: 177.5; 2015: 187.7; 2006-2010: 110.8; 2011-2015: 167.7 - Nontax revenue: 2011: 81.1; 2012: 76.5; 2013: 79.2; 2014: 80.5; 2015: 94.8; 2006-2010: 69.4; 2011-2015: 82.4 - Oil revenue: 2011: 10.1; 2012: 10.5; 2013: 10.8; 2014: 11.0; 2015: 16.4; 2006-2010: 24.5; 2011-2015: 11.7 - Grants: 2011: 19.6; 2012: 12.1; 2013: 12; 2014: 11.9; 2015: 7.3; 2006-2010: 60.8; 2011-2015: 12.6 - Net expenses on loans: 2011: 286.2; 2012: 283.3; 2013: 297.4; 2014: 297.8; 2015: 313.1; 2006-2010: 244.8; 2011-2015: 295.6 - Overall balance excluding oil and grants: 2011: -58.9; 2012: -49.9; 2013: -48.0; 2014: -39.9; 2015: -30.6; 2006-2010: -64.7; 2011-2015: -45.5 - In percent of nonoil GDP: 2011: -5.5 percent; 2012: -4.4 percent; 2013: -4.0 percent; 2014: -3.1 percent; 2015: -2.2 percent; 2006-2010: -8.6 percent; 2011-2015: -3.9 percent - Overall balance including grants and oil: 2011: -29.2; 2012: -27.3; 2013: -25.2; 2014: -17.0; 2015: -7.0; 2006-2010: 20.6; 2011-2015: -21.1 - Tax burden: 2011: 13.6 percent; 2012: 14.00 percent; 2013: 14.3 percent; 2014: 13.7 percent; 2015: 13.8 percent; 2006-2010: 14.9 percent; 2011-2015: 13.9 percent - Nonoil nominal GDP: 2011: 1072; 2012: 1124; 2013: 1191; 2014: 1297; 2015: 1361; 2006-2010: 752.1; 2011-2015: 1208.9 - Total revenue (excluding grants and oil) should increase on average by about 14 percent per year to UM 282.5 billion in 2015. ### Public expenditure, investment, and financing - Public expenditure will increase to UM 296 billion over 2011-2015 from UM 245 billion in 2006-2010. - "Operating expenses" component will decrease to 3.1 percent on average between 2011 and 2015, down from 9.4 percent per year in 2006-2010. - Wages and salaries estimated at 8.4 percent per year over 2011-2015 (in percent of nonoil GDP), versus 9.3 percent on average from 2006 to 2010; salaries remain about 60 percent of expenditure in both periods. - Investment spending will account for about UM 89 billion per year over 2011-2015 versus about UM 61 billion between 2006 and 2010. - Sixty-four percent of investment spending over 2011-2015 will be financed with domestic resources; foreign-financed investment expenditure (36 percent on average) will decline by 3.4 percent per year over the period. - Substantial efforts will be needed to mobilize concessional financing to maintain investment levels for the poverty reduction strategy. ### Structural reform, private sector development, and incentives - Priority structural reforms to improve investment climate and private sector development include: - Deepening reforms, strengthening transparency, measures to support SMEs/SMIs, and tax reform to support private sector activity. - Implementing legal, judicial, and regulatory reform; modernizing the financial sector; fostering trade relations; ensuring open competition. - Private sector development measures: - Prepare a private sector development strategy to remove constraints on growth and competitiveness and attract FDI. - Establish a strategy to stimulate private investment in irrigated farming for clean, large-scale projects. - Complete the Investment Code to provide a coherent legal framework for investor benefits, incentives, and guarantees. - Simplify administrative procedures via a revitalized one-stop shop. - Implement an integrated program to develop and upgrade Nouadhibou Bay. - Support SMEs/SMIs. - Tax policy and incentive reforms: - Simplify the tax regime; build administrative capacity in tax analysis, audit/verification, and collection. - Link tax compliance to access to financing and government contracts. - Reinforce taxpayers' rights, guarantees, and remedies. - Reduce business tax prepayments to 1 percent in favor of periodic installments. - Establish a transparent threshold distinguishing small enterprises from microenterprises. - Create authorized management centers (CGA) to support microenterprises based on a flat rate and set mechanisms for tax rebates and CGA obligations. - Simplify procedures for startup and operation of microenterprises; improve formal access to government contracts and financing. - Legal and judicial framework actions: - Establish legal/institutional framework for public-private partnerships. - Strengthen sector contributions to contract compliance and claims collection. - Review sectoral codes (Business Code, Labor Code) to adapt Investment Code provisions. - Strengthen the judicial system per the action plan of the final report on the justice system (November 2005). - Financial sector measures to improve SME credit access: - Build SMEs' capacity to produce reliable financial statements. - Establish a central office for managing financial information (credit bureau). - Strengthen regulation and supervision; implement the action plan included in the 2006 FSAP. - Procedures to facilitate financing the economy: - Strengthen legal and regulatory financial framework, enhance accounting transparency, improve reliability of financial statements, build supervisory capacity, and implement anti-money laundering regulations. ### Trade liberalization, competition, and export promotion - Legal and economic reforms to develop domestic trade and free competition (2011-2015) include: - Define systems to protect private ownership rights. - Recognize partnerships, corporations, and sole proprietorships. - Implement mechanisms to foster capital formation (sale of securities, issuance of debt, provision of collateral). - Adopt measures to facilitate asset disposal through bankruptcy procedures. - Devise strategies against noncompetitive practices; define legal framework to regulate official assistance. - Develop and implement a legal framework for competition and establish an independent competition agency to enforce the law and manage control of official assistance. - Trade diversification and vulnerability reduction objectives: - Open up new export markets, particularly emerging country markets. - Foster growth and trade diversification based on comparative advantage. - Priority actions for trade and export promotion: - Revival of the Government-Private Sector Consultative Committee. - Implementation of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (CIR) with a National Coordination Committee, program management unit, and trade dispute arbitration center. - Creation of an export promotion agency under a public-private partnership. *Source: Mauritanian Authorities and IMF; September 2010* ### 2.31 The government knows that, given the vast size of the territory and its rough terrain, ### 2.31 The government knows that, given the vast size of the territory and its rough terrain, ### Transport infrastructure: objectives and institutional measures - Purpose: promote trade, reduce production costs, enhance competitiveness, and reach rural or isolated areas where the poor population is concentrated and which also have considerable production and growth potential. - Sector objectives for land transport (2.32): (i) improve the institutional organization of the sector; (ii) modernize infrastructure development; (iii) improve the economic competitiveness of services; and (iv) build capacity in the sector. - Main measures to improve institutional organization and build capacity (2.33): (i) support for reform of the land transport subsector; (ii) establishment of a fund for MET studies; (iii) continuation of the project providing technical assistance and institutional strengthening in the transport sector (PATRIST); and (iv) capacity building in the transport sector. ### Road network expansion: planned construction projects (2.34) - Construction of the Tidjikja-Kiffa-Kankossa-Selibaby-Kayes route. - Construction of the Kseir-Torchane-Choum route. - Construction of the Atar-Tidjikja route. - Construction of the Nema-Bassiknou-Fassala route. - Construction of the Triangle de l'Espoir Road. - Construction of the Nouakchott Beltway. - Resumption and completion of the Kaédi-Mbout-Sélibaby-Gouraye route. - Work on the urban road system in Nouakchott. - Construction of the Ouèfia-Keur Macène, Aouènatt Zbel-Djiguenni, Akjoujt-Benichab-route Nouadhibou-Nouakchott, Lexeiba-Mounguel, Tintane-Ain Farba routes. - Construction of the Carrefour Madrid interchange. - Repair of the Dalot de Kamour. - Work on the urban road systems of Kaédi, Nouadhibou, and Rosso. - Construction of the Néma-Amourj-Mali border route. ### Road rehabilitation and rural access (2.35) - Planned rehabilitation and maintenance works: (i) continued road maintenance on the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott and Aioun-Gogui arteries; (ii) rehabilitation of the Boutilimit-Aleg route; (iii) rehabilitation of the Kiffa-Tintane segment of the l’Espoir route; (iv) rehabilitation and widening of the Nouakchott-Rosso route; and (v) rehabilitation of the Kaédi-Boghé and Néma-Tintane arteries. - Implementation of a major program to provide access to rural areas. ### Road maintenance financing (2.36) - Short-run: allocate sufficient resources in the state budget, in addition to amounts refunded to the government by the SNIM as part of the onlending of SYSMIN and FLEX funds. - Long-term goal: create a Road Maintenance Fund to ensure that financing for road maintenance is always available. - Footnotes: SYSMIN: Mineral Export Revenue Stabilization System; FLEX: the flex mechanism related to vulnerability (V-FLEX). It is the European Union’s rapid response tool to assist the countries most affected by the economic slowdown owing to their inability to withstand external shocks. ### Other transport modes: airports, meteorology, maritime, and rail (2.37) - Airport subsector priority actions over the next five years: (i) airport security equipment will be acquired; (ii) airports in the interior of the country will be brought up to standard; and (iii) the new Nouakchott international airport will be built under a public-private partnership. - Meteorology actions: (i) outfitting weather stations; (ii) installing observation instruments across the country; and (iii) building the National Meteorological Office. - Maritime and river infrastructure: (i) project to expand the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott/PANPA; (ii) redefining the PANPA port area and elevating the Nouakchott-Rosso and Wharf-Rosso roads to serve as a protective perimeter in the event of flooding; and (iii) construction of a container terminal in Nouakchott. - Railway development: possibility of building a railroad between Kaédi and Nouakchott under a public-private partnership. ### Energy: objectives and priority projects (2.38–2.41) - Overall goal (2.38): enhance and diversify the energy supply during 2011-2015 to meet the needs of households and enterprises and tap all potential energy sources in the country. - Main vehicle: public-private partnerships (2.39). Priority actions: (i) construction of a wind power plant with an overall capacity of 100 MW in Nouadhibou; (ii) building of solar power plants in Kiffa, with an overall capacity of 50 MW and in the Dhar and the Triangle de l’Espoir regions; (iii) construction of a multiphase 350-700 MW gas power plant in NKC, including an initial 120 MW biofuel/HFO phase. - Access and distribution actions (2.40): (i) electrification of districts on the periphery of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and of new towns; (ii) building of a power line from Nouakchott to Nouadhibou; (iii) electrification of the valley along the two arteries of the Rosso-Boghé and Boghé-Sélibaby intersection; (iv) integration of prepayment systems in Nouakchott; (v) execution of the 24 CLM/Phase II electrification program; (vi) construction of power plants in towns in the interior; (vii) construction of photovoltaic power stations and power grids; and (viii) implementation of a national energy efficiency and energy control program to save up to 45 percent of the new energy production resources. - Additional: opportunities offered by the Carbon Fund’s Clean Development Mechanism will be explored (2.41). ### Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): objectives and priority actions (2.42–2.45) - Objectives for 2011-2015 (2.42): (i) increase the country's overall connectivity and its use of ICT services; (ii) optimize the use of information systems; (iii) enhance the contribution of ICTs to the health and education sectors; (iv) improve the postal service; and (v) improve leadership of the sector. - Expected outcomes (2.43): reinforce communications infrastructure, develop online services, facilitate electronic transactions, and promote the country’s entry into the information society. - Priority actions for 2011-2015 (2.44): (i) connection of the country to the World Wide Web by submarine cable; (ii) connecting certain administrative regions (wilayas) nationally by fiber-optic cable; (iii) establishment of an ICT outreach fund and capacity building to develop the digital economy; (iv) implementation of specific programs to promote ICT use; (v) development of distance medicine and distance education projects to enhance the contribution of ICTs to the health and education systems; and (vi) expansion of the postal service to all regions of the country. - Continuation and focus (2.45): renewal of programs proposed for the previous period, with attention on e-business and e-Tijara programs and the creation of ICT firms, implemented in close coordination with the comprehensive strategy to support SMEs. ### Optimum use of sources of growth: sectoral priorities (2.46) - Complementary elements to accelerate economic growth: sound macroeconomic framework, far-reaching structural reforms, framework to revitalize the private sector, and ambitious infrastructure development policy. - Need for sectoral policies to efficiently manage natural resources and potential, covering: oil, mines, fisheries, tourism and handicrafts, industry, agriculture, and livestock rearing. ### Oil sector actions (2.47–2.48) - Private operators under revamped contractual arrangements to execute programs. Specific actions: (i) contractors in zones A, B, and C6 will concentrate efforts on drilling three wells and assessing discoveries in Thiof, Tevet, and Labeidna, for example; developing Banda to supply a 350 MW gas plant to bridge the energy gap and to maintain production at a rate that exceeds the profitability threshold; (ii) the first onshore exploration wells will be drilled; and (iii) operators will be given incentives to maximize their drilling operations for exploration and valuation. - Geological actions planned (2.48): (i) a geographic information system (GIS) for oil; (ii) a reliable and automated oil registry, which will be at the core of decision on granting exploration permits; and (iii) a petroleum database. - Note (footnote 8): This is the first phase. The final phase will have an output of 700 MW. ### Mining sector priorities (2.49–2.50) - Main objective: continue support for mining as a vehicle of economic growth and poverty reduction. Priority actions (2.49): (i) diversify activities by seeking new mining resources; (ii) increase mining production by exploiting new mines and expanding existing mines; (iii) double the volume of investment in research; and (iv) create 15,000 jobs in the mining sector by 2015 as opposed to 11,000 in 2010 by supporting the establishment and development of new enterprises. - Institutional and capacity measures (2.50): (i) institutional strengthening of the mining sector, phase III (PRISM III); (ii) enhanced policing of mines; (iii) technical capacity building for the Mauritanian Office for Geological Exploration (OMRG); and (iv) establishment of a mining school. ### Fisheries sector targets and programs (2.51–2.53) - General objectives (2.51): (i) efficient management and sustainable income; and (ii) greater integration of the sector into the economy to optimize the socioeconomic contribution from each of its industries. Sector role: driving force in combating food insecurity. - Specific targets (2.52): (i) sustainably develop demersal and pelagic fisheries; (ii) conduct more in-depth research to assess permissible potential or quantities that can be fished annually without jeopardizing stock replenishment; (iii) strengthen surveillance to protect national waters; (iv) implement an appropriate management system based on monitoring and adjusting fishing capacity and tax reform tailored to the sector; (v) monitor and adjust fishery capacity; (vi) develop emerging fisheries (clams, anchovies, sea cucumbers, algae); (vii) develop shipment infrastructure and land facilities and related activities; (viii) develop products and improve competitiveness; (ix) improve the performance of the national fleet; (x) promote small-scale, coastal, and continental fishing; (xi) promote the consumption of fish nationally; (xii) protect the marine environment, habitats, and the shoreline; (xiii) develop fish farming; and (xiv) promote investment in the sector. - Priority programs (2.53): (i) construction of four integrated development clusters for small-scale and coastal fishing on the southern shoreline; (ii) expansion of the Nouadhibou port; (iii) development of the business cluster at the small fishing port of Tanit; (iv) construction of a pelagic complex in Nouadhibou; (v) completion of the trawling operation to remove trash and debris from the Nouadhibou bay; (vi) extension/renovation of the floating devices and equipment at the small fishing port of Nouadhibou; (vii) connection of key business clusters to the water supply system and major roads; and (viii) support for the CASAMPAC training program. ### Tourism and handicrafts: promotion and support measures (2.54–2.56) - Tourism rationale (2.54): varied landscape, rich cultural and natural heritage, genuine tourism potential; promote sector over next five years to develop job creation and poverty reduction while respecting sustainable development. - Priority tourism measures (2.55): (i) implantation of basic infrastructure, particularly for vocational training, with the creation of a hotel school; (ii) diversification of the tourism product by launching new destinations; (iii) establishment of a fund to support local operators in the sector with training; (iv) implementation of specialized financing mechanisms and tax incentives; (iv) support for the development of sustainable tourism with a high level of value added for the local population and domestic tourism; (v) creation of ecolodges in natural parks; and (vi) large-scale advertisement of Mauritania as a destination. - Handicrafts measures (2.56): (i) drafting and validation of a national strategy to develop handicrafts and review of the craft code to adapt it to the context of the sector; (ii) establishment of an arts and crafts training and development center; and (iii) furnishing of regional craft houses. ### Industry: targets and actions (2.57–2.58) - Objective (2.57): gradually increase the industrial sector’s input in the national economy to generate value-added, create employment, and reduce poverty. - Priority actions (2.58): (i) raise the volume of investment in industry; (ii) increase the number of manufacturing industries by establishing supporting infrastructure and other support structures for industrial development; (iii) increase direct employment in the sector from 9,000 in 2010 to 19,500 by 2015; (iv) raise the value of industrial production by improving the sector’s competitiveness; (v) enhance business support and advisory services and efficient institutional and operational leadership; (vi) boost tax revenue by developing the industrial fabric; (vii) improve the productivity of units of production and the competitiveness of their products to broaden access to domestic, regional, and international markets; (viii) build the capacity of the Information Dissemination and Technology Directorate/Ministry of Industry and Mines (DDI/MIM); and (ix) conduct a performance study of industrial zones. ### Agriculture and livestock rearing: goals, targets, and actions (2.59–2.65) - Role of rural sector (2.59): economic role through value-added creation and acceleration of growth; social role in rural areas with highest concentration of poor people. - Long-term goal (2.61): modernize the sector and make it more productive and competitive in the national, regional, and international markets. - Specific objectives to be achieved by 2015 (2.62): (i) produce enough grain nationally to meet at least 50 percent of the domestic demand for grain and 100 percent of the demand for certain produce (potatoes, onions); (ii) cut refined sugar imports in half by introducing sugarcane and its industrialization; and (iii) expand the wheat crop growing area on irrigated land. - Intervention approach (2.63): two-pronged—development of irrigated farmland and promotion of public-private partnerships. - Irrigated agriculture target (2.64): promote rice farming on at least 45,000 ha and provide incentives for crop diversification through introduction of fruit, vegetable, fodder, and agroforestry crops. - Main actions (2.65): (i) rehabilitation of the Boghé pilot unit (CPB); (ii) rehabilitation of the large R’kiz estate; (iii) rehabilitation of the Gorgol II pilot estate (PPG-II); (iv) development of the eastern basin of the R’kiz Lake; (v) development of water works systems in the valley; (vi) implementation of a sustainable flood recession farming project; (vii) construction and rehabilitation of rainwater harvesting systems; (viii) development of the MAHMOUDA ponds; (ix) development and implementation of a strategy for hydro-agricultural infrastructure; (x) agrarian and state land reform by mapping out structures, particularly for the upper valley; (xi) development of produce farming (onion, potato, okra, and other farms); (xii) implementation of the crop pest strategy (for locusts, birds, typha, etc.); (xiii) development of the seed production industry; and (xiv) availability of specialized and diversified agricultural loans. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (excerpts from pages 111–116).* ### 2.66 Promotion of public-private partnerships (PPP): public-private partnerships are an ### _cr11252 - 2.66 Promotion of public-private partnerships (PPP): public-private partnerships are an ### Promotion of public-private partnerships (PPP) and agricultural expansion - Public-private partnerships are described as an innovative development financing resource that can increase and diversify agricultural production and transfer technology to farmers. - Private investors have begun to introduce wheat, groundnuts, and sugar cane through PPPs. - Planned actions over the next five years: - (i) preparation of an irrigation master plan to develop growth industries in agriculture (rice, produce, etc.) and for dairy and poultry farming on irrigated land; - (ii) development of 20,000 ha in Brakna to cultivate wheat, potatoes, onions, and alfalfa; - (iii) development of 11,000 ha in Gorgol Chickadee to produce sugarcane and extract 126,000 metric tons of refined sugar and other byproducts (fodder, ethanol, etc.). ### Livestock subsector goals and actions - Strategic goal: better integrate livestock rearing into the economy by strengthening its role in food security and poverty reduction. - Specific objectives: - (i) promote exports of red meat; - (ii) satisfy 50 percent of the demand for milk through domestic production; - (iii) meet consumer demand for white meat and poultry products based on domestic production. - Actions to reach goals: - (i) implement the National Livestock Development Program; - (ii) establish a livestock loan offered by a specialized financial unit; - (iii) pursue the project to build an agro-pastoral complex (dairy plant, modern abattoir, tannery, etc.); - (iv) construct a quality control laboratory for animal products; - (v) establish a national animal health program; - (vi) a program to increase herd productivity through artificial insemination; - (vii) a capacity building program for public- and private-sector stakeholders. ### Anchoring growth in the economic environment of the poor (Pillar 2) - Two reasons strong accelerated growth may not reduce poverty: - (i) growth-driving sectors are typically outward oriented with little direct impact on the poor; - (ii) geographic areas where the poor are concentrated cannot reap growth rewards due to structural, technical, and organizational constraints. - Government commitment: continue and develop policies to anchor growth in the poor’s economic environment. - Short-term focus: improve crisis response capacity (food), develop microprojects with immediate poverty-reducing effects (income-generating activities, safety nets, sectoral financing in agriculture), and bridge public amenities deficits to target growth benefits to poor areas. - Goal: make poverty reduction strategies genuine tools for reducing inequities and equitably redistributing growth benefits through channels for redistributing national wealth. - Areas of action during 2011-2015: (i) rural development; (ii) food security; (iii) urban development; (iv) microfinance and microenterprise; (v) development of economic potential of the environment (productive capital); (vi) social protection. ### Rural development (strategy and planned measures) - Five major objectives of the rural development strategy for 2015: - (i) promoting growth in the sector to provide the country with food security; - (ii) equitable access to resources; - (iii) increased supply and availability of the goods and services needed for sustainable development of the sector; - (iv) capacity building to manage an integrated and participatory rural development; - (v) a stronger surveillance system for serious diseases (Rift Valley fever, bird flu, etc.). - Implementation channels: action plan under the “Acceleration of growth and stabilization of the macroeconomic framework” pillar and strengthening the social role of the rural sector. - Emphasis in the next five years: - (i) prepare and implement a hydro-farming infrastructure development strategy (dams, watersheds, dykes/levees, etc.), targeting construction/rehabilitation of over 150 water catchment facilities and development of large ponds and wetlands; - (ii) provide support to farmers to increase yields in the rainfall belt; - (iii) develop and strengthen growth industries in dry areas (poultry farming, red meat, milk, forestry products, dates, produce, etc.); - (iv) better target and harmonize policies to provide official assistance and incentives to operators; - (v) revitalize research, training, and dissemination by implementing the project to rehabilitate the Ecole Nationale de Formation et de Vulgarisation Agricole in Kaédi (ENFVA); - (vi) establish a true seed production industry on rainfed and irrigated land. - Operationalization aims to prepare and implement a national food security policy within the global food security strategy. ### National food security policy - Rationale: structural food insecurity, frequency of natural disasters, and limited one-off crisis responses necessitate a genuine national food security policy to be prepared and implemented during 2011-2015 PRSP III. - Continuation: objectives of the 2006-2010 PRSP remain valid; all sectors/subsectors must become more involved in national food security policy. - Components of the approach include: - (i) promoting lasting solutions to the development of food security; - (ii) strengthening the early warning system; - (iii) building capacity for emergency and crisis response and management; - (iv) enhancing stakeholder coordination and capacity building. - Additional required measures: - (i) regularly produce reliable information on food security by reviving and strengthening the food security observatory as an independent and autonomous agency; - (ii) strengthen targeted food security programs and consolidate intervention mechanisms; - (iii) implement food crisis safeguard mechanisms by establishing and maintaining food security stocks; - (iv) improve the nutritional status of vulnerable groups; - (v) develop autonomous program implementation capacity (human resources, fleet of automobiles, warehouses, etc.); - (vi) start up the Humanitarian Action Fund; - (vii) implement the program to build crisis response capacity; - (viii) define and implement new humanitarian action programs targeting specific groups (mendicants, children, senior citizens, etc.); - (ix) refurbish and expand storage capacity; - (x) execute an emergency aid program; - (xi) implement the WFP country program (Water Resources segment). ### Urban development - Necessity: improve living conditions due to increasing migration to cities (Nouakchott, Nouadhibou). - Specific guidelines: - (i) control, monitor, and regulate urban sprawl using appropriate town planning and development tools; - (ii) undertake urban renewal of slum areas to incorporate them into regular city districts; - (iii) support urban economic development so cities become engines of economic growth and sustainable development; - (iv) improve access to basic services; - (v) develop marketable residential real estate; - (v) build capacity of public and private stakeholders; - (vi) improve the urban environment. - Investment emphasis (in addition to capacity building in electrical energy production): - (i) improving access to housing; - (ii) implementing an urban development policy; - (iii) improving access to water and constructing urban sanitation systems. ### Housing and habitat (2011-2015 priorities) - Overall goal: improve living conditions by making decent low-cost housing available and providing amenities and infrastructure. - Main focuses: - (i) adopt and implement a national housing strategy; - (ii) significantly increase supply of housing; - (iii) encourage real estate development to provide diverse dwellings at accessible cost; - (iv) continue and expand the “Twize” low-cost housing program to major urban areas; - (v) implement a housing financing system considering households and real estate developers. - Planned actions: - (i) adoption of a national housing strategy; - (ii) execution of a program to build 4,000 houses; - (iii) improvement of 6,000 plots. ### Construction and urban development sector priorities - Construction sector priorities: - (i) improve supply of public buildings; - (ii) preserve and maintain state building stock; - (iii) strengthen institutional and regulatory framework for construction; - (iv) mitigate bottlenecks in construction and public works through capacity building, better quality control of public works, establishment of support structures (national standardization agency), and raising education/training of skilled technicians. - Urban development priority actions: - (i) rehabilitation/urban renewal of Tintane; - (ii) upgrading slum areas of major cities; - (iii) continued implementation of the urban development program; - (iv) enhanced town planning and urban management with appropriate tools and increased inspectors; - (v) design and implementation of amenities, urban renewal, and modernization program for major cities; - (vi) development of downtown Nouakchott; - (vii) preparation of a shoreline development plan for Nouakchott. - Institutional support: establish a MHUAT research fund to build institutional and regulatory capacity for urban development. ### Water and sanitation in urban areas - Planned urban water resources projects: - (i) expansion and rehabilitation of the water supply system in Nouakchott to maximize benefits of the Aftout Essahili project; - (ii) expansion of systems in certain towns in the interior (Akjoujt, Kiffa, Kaédi); - (iii) research into and implementation of the Kiffa Safe Drinking Water Distribution System from the Mare de Kankossa. - Sanitation efforts over the next five years: - (i) undertake research and projects to connect the Socogim Tevragh-Zeina segment to the waste treatment plant; - (ii) implement the Rosso town sanitation project; - (iii) construct the sanitation system for the city of Nouakchott. ### Microfinance and microenterprise - Background: national microfinance strategy adopted in 2003 remains applicable to PRSP III. - Objective: develop a viable, permanent, private-sector microfinance sector integrated with the financial sector, diverse in institutional makeup and products, innovative, nationally covered, and operating in a supportive political, legal, regulatory, and fiscal environment. - Three immediate objectives of PRSP III: - (i) apply provisions of the legal and regulatory framework adopted in 2007; - (ii) enhance professionalism and sustainability of MFIs to provide a more diverse and comprehensive supply of microfinance products and services; - (iii) implement an institutional framework for efficient and joint management of the National Microfinance Strategy (SNMF) and link it to the national micro- and small enterprise strategy. - Actions for 2011-2015: - (i) strengthen effectiveness of IGA programs; - (ii) continue implementation of the integrated national program to support micro- and small enterprise; - (iii) execute capacity building project in microfinance sector; - (iv) revise the SNMF action plan; - (v) build technical and financial capacity of MFIs; - (vi) set up savings-and-loan mutual societies in rural areas; - (vii) create a structure for refinancing microfinance institutions; - (viii) construct a tax regime specifically for MFIs in compliance with order 2007/005; - (ix) establish broad categories for grouping MFIs (procedure to be completed in 2011); - (x) establish an information center specifically for MFIs; - (xi) adopt, disseminate, and implement a chart of accounts specific to microfinance; - (x) build microfinance supervision capacity by establishing a corps of inspectors working exclusively on the sector; - (xi) revive APROMI. ### Economic valuation of natural capital - Challenge: include natural resources in productive national economy to produce value added, contribute to growth, and reduce poverty given links between poverty-concentrated areas and natural resources. - Strategy objectives: - (i) meet bulk of poor’s needs from their natural environment; - (ii) reduce economic cost of environmental degradation; - (iii) develop sustainable financing mechanisms for the environment in line with national strategy for sustainable development. - Action plan key pillars: - (i) valuation of diverse uses of ecosystems and timber; - (ii) introduction of emerging financing mechanisms to guarantee resource sustainability and help mitigate negative effects of climate change; - (iii) promotion of endogenous pastoral species in large pastoral spaces rich in biomass for feed for large-scale livestock farming; - (iv) development of contribution of natural capital to national wealth by regularly evaluating stocks of natural resources that produce flows of goods and services; - (vi) highlight economic yield of ecological investments by analyzing effects of sectoral policies at national and local levels. ### Social protection - Role: instrument of inter- and intragenerational solidarity and an effective means of combating poverty and redistributing benefits of growth. - Government focus: significant efforts in social protection encompassing all measures designed to protect the population, particularly the most disadvantaged groups, from social risks of all kinds. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (pages excerpted)_cr11252 - 2.66* ### 2.104 The overall objective of the current PRSP action plan will be improvement of the ### The overall objective of the current PRSP action plan will be improvement of the standard of living of the poor and advancement of the disabled ### Social protection: objectives, measures, and institutional strengthening - Overall objective: improvement of the standard of living of the poor and advancement of the disabled. - Three basic focus areas: - (i) providing assistance for the poor and poverty management; - (ii) insurance; - (iii) job security. - Priority measures for providing assistance and managing the indigent population: - (i) formulation, adoption, and implementation of a national social protection strategy; - (ii) implementation of an economic development program for disadvantaged groups and the preparation and implementation of a national strategy for the advancement of disabled persons; - (iii) continued execution of the program to reduce panhandling; - (iv) implementation of the conflict prevention program and strengthening social cohesion; - (v) continued implementation of the program to eradicate the vestiges of slavery. - Insurance: - The national health insurance fund (CNAM), established in 2005 to provide health coverage for civil servants and military personnel, will be expanded to include employees of public-sector establishments and national enterprises. - Job security: - The National Social Security Fund (CNSS) will revise its founding documents to adapt them to changes in the country’s socioeconomic context. - Plans to consider extending CNSS scope to cover additional health insurance branches and pensions. - Measures to underpin social protection: - (i) enhancing the institutional and regulatory framework for social protection; - (ii) capacity building for the decision-makers and stakeholders in the field of social protection. - Box: Social Protection in Mauritania — status and outlook (summary of findings and recommendations) - Social protection concept: three action areas — social action (better medical and education services), safety nets (special treatment for those unable to take advantage of public policies), and risk sharing mechanisms in health. - Existing situation: initiatives implemented (conceptualization, crisis response, social security development, medical risk sharing, targeted social services), but system remains weak: - Vulnerable populations not properly targeted; existing programs do not fully cater to most needy segments. - Very limited resources allocated to social protection. - Structures responsible for social protection are weak. - Efforts are piecemeal, scattered, disconnected; no proper coordination mechanisms. - Recent study completed: - Analyzed social protection systems in Mauritania, assessed priority needs for strengthening, and made preliminary recommendations to guide preparation of a national social protection strategy underpinned by programs targeting vulnerable groups. - Study recommendations: - Expand the formal social security system to gradually cover the most vulnerable groups. - Take into account recent analyses, reviews, and experimental strategies. - Make health services more affordable for the most vulnerable groups. - Place adequate and equitable financing for an accessible system at the heart of national debate on social protection in the health sector. - Prioritize nutrition and food security: prevent and manage food and nutrition crises via subsistence support, targeted social assistance, and nutrition support/prevention for most vulnerable groups. - For child social vulnerability: strengthen institutional and human capacities, improve coordination and legal framework for child protection, increase resources for protection against violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. - Education sector: implement specific measures targeting the most vulnerable children; pursue “education for all” policies to eliminate disparities in access and quality. - Employment sector: create links and synergies between employment and social protection strategies given high unemployment. - Review national programs for universal access to basic social services (water and sanitation, electricity, housing) and targeted programs for vulnerable groups. - Based on fiscal trends review, increase budget appropriations for social protection; mobilized resources could implement direct cash transfers to vulnerable households (recommended in nutrition, food security, child protection based on a recent feasibility study). - Strong recommendation to establish an institutional mechanism to coordinate social protection in Mauritania to promote and strengthen needed intersectoral coordination. ### Human resource development and expansion of basic services (Pillar 3): rationale and sector priorities - Rationale: - Accelerated and redistributive growth requires policies to provide the country with skilled human capital. - Human resource development and expansion of basic services are key to effective poverty reduction; they provide human capital enabling individuals to exploit economic, social, cultural, and political potential. - Sound primary education is both an end in itself and an asset for increasing labor productivity and improving individual and community health. - Improved access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation complements health services; such services require appropriate infrastructure and well-trained personnel. - Studies show correlation between access to basic social services and degree of poverty. - Conditions for balanced and sustainable development include combating widespread pathologies (malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea), eradicating child labor, promoting gender by involving more women in public sector management, and strengthening national solidarity with poorest segments. - Government emphasis on development of the following fundamental sectors: - (i) promotion of an education and training system; - (ii) development of a healthcare system and improvement of nutritional status; - (iii) employment promotion; - (iv) improvement of access to safe drinking water in rural areas; - (v) promotion of gender equity, protection of children, and formulation and implementation of a population policy; - (vi) promotion of culture, youth, and sport; - (vii) enhanced universal access to basic services. ### Education and training: objectives and priority actions - Focus areas: (i) primary education; (ii) post primary education; (iii) tertiary education; (iv) technical and vocational education; (v) traditional teaching; (vi) literacy. - Basic education (primary) - Main objective (in compliance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)): guarantee that all Mauritanian children have a complete and good quality primary education. - Specific objectives: - (i) reorganize private and public school system to better meet demand in order to increase retention rates at the primary level to 79 percent in 2015; - (ii) eliminate gender disparities in all wilayas and between socioeconomic groups or by residential address; - (iii) improve the quality of education at the primary level; - (iv) enhance leadership of the system by introducing results-based management. - Priority actions: - (i) support basic education; - (ii) improve access to primary education; - (iii) educate girls and support universal population and family life education (EMP/EVF); - (iv) support the national education system development program; - (v) outfit primary schools; - (vi) provide schools for disadvantaged groups; - (vii) produce textbooks and teaching aids; - (viii) restructure basic teacher training; - (ix) upgrade the qualifications of primary school teachers. - Secondary education - Objectives: (i) improve and increase enrollment capacity; (ii) raise quality and relevance to jobs and developing acquisitions; (iii) improve coordination with branches of tertiary education. - Priority actions: - (i) improve access and equity in secondary education; - (ii) purchase school furniture and laboratory equipment; - (iii) develop scientific research; - (iv) train and retrain teachers in scientific disciplines; - (v) equip all schools with canteens and allow the underprivileged to access secondary education; - (vi) increase the enrollment capacity of secondary schools; - (vii) increase the demand for schooling (educational materials and teaching aids). - Tertiary education - Main objective: restructure and improve provision and quality of tertiary education. - Planned actions: - (i) building and outfitting of a new modern campus for the Université de Nouakchott; - (ii) construction and equipment of a site for ISCAE; - (iii) establishment, construction, and equipment of a university in Kiffa; - (iv) restructuring and diversification of tertiary provision by developing professionalism in industry, offering distance education, developing on-the-job continuing education, and implementing a scholarship management policy; - (v) create conditions for increasing quality private tertiary education by developing legal/institutional framework, establishing State-private partnerships, and introducing private sector development incentives; - (vi) improving quality and efficiency of tertiary education/ISET in Rosso; - (vii) implementing the project to strengthen tertiary education. - Technical and vocational training - Basic objective: increase and diversify provision and improve quality and relevance. - Quality and relevance enhancements: - (i) establish a structure for training instructors and management personnel; - (ii) continually update programs and introduce new programs using a competency-based approach; - (iii) pursue and consolidate a quality-based approach in training institutions. - Diversification and quality improvement actions: - (i) increase relevance and effectiveness; - (ii) diversify provision through creation of three new institutions providing training in construction of public works, information and communications technologies, and tourism/hotel industry, and establish training centers based on regional economic realities, including a model educational cluster for agricultural and rural economy trades; - (iii) implement a technical and vocational training support project. - Traditional education - Main objectives: (i) include traditional education in basic education provision for all, particularly at preschool and primary levels and in adult literacy; (ii) allow traditionally educated students to transfer seamlessly into formal education system levels. - Priority actions: - (i) establish a structure for training and development of imams; - (ii) build and outfit mosques and waqf complexes; - (iii) strengthen decentralized structures of traditional education. - Literacy policy - Priority objectives: - (i) strengthen leadership and management of literacy programs; - (ii) develop and diversify literacy efforts, especially through outreach as part of the strategic objective of “education for all” and improve efficiency of initiatives to reduce illiteracy and streamline management and coordination of the literacy program. ### Health and nutrition: policy priorities, targets, and planned actions - Health sector five-year priority: review the national health policy and draft and implement the National Health Development Plan. - Strategic approach to improve public healthcare: - (i) improving universal access to quality healthcare; - (ii) ramping up the multi-targeted war on disease; - (iii) reforming the national health system. - Priority actions to improve universal access to quality healthcare: - (i) enhanced referrals and counter referrals (purchasing ambulances and other appropriate resources); - (ii) acquisition of biomedical devices and equipment for healthcare institutions; - (iii) greater use of health services; - (iv) improved performance of the health system; - (v) support for reproductive health; - (vi) construction and rehabilitation of health structures to provide 90 percent health coverage within a radius of 5 km by 2015 (building and outfitting hospitals in Rosheso, Kaédi, and Selibaby). - Disease reduction targets: - Maternal mortality rate: decrease from 686 to 282 deaths per 100,000 live births. - Infant mortality rate: reduce from 122 to 45 deaths per 1,000 live births. - Priority actions for the war on disease: - (i) continued implementation of the anti-malaria project; - (ii) implementation of the anti-HIV/AIDS strategic framework; - (iii) implementation of reproductive health strategies (roadmap to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and strategy to ensure good reproductive health outcomes); - (iv) continued efforts to combat tuberculosis; - (v) implementation of a national infant survival strategy, promotion of good hygiene practices, water treatment and conservation, sanitation, and other strategies targeting transmissible diseases; - (vi) adoption and implementation of a strategy against transmissible diseases; - (vii) reinforcement of intersectoral actions in hygiene and sanitation. - National health system reform priorities for 2011-2015: - (i) preparation and implementation of the National Health Development Plan; - (ii) reinforcement of health funding mechanisms to considerably increase the share of health and nutrition sector in the national budget; - (iii) annual updates of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the health sector; - (iv) revitalization of the cost recovery system and subsidization of basic health services for the poor; - (v) expansion of the coverage of the National Health Information System (SNIS) to include the hospital system, private sector, and community services; - (vi) assistance to the private sector as required under terms of reference that meet the standards; - (vii) improved budget execution through better organization of government procurement and accounting and financial management; - (viii) capacity building for monitoring/evaluation and research in public health. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (excerpts) — PRSP action plan text provided.* ### 2.134 Nutrition is one of the major determinants of the health of mothers, newborns, and ### 2.134 Nutrition is one of the major determinants of the health of mothers, newborns, and children ### Nutrition: objectives and priority actions - Main objective: improve the nutritional status of the population. - Priority actions: - (i) updating the national nutrition policy and adopting an intersectoral action plan for nutrition; - (ii) implementing the national strategy for infant survival and development; - (iii) implementing the national protocol governing acute malnutrition, the national infant and young child feeding strategy, and the directives for vitamin A supplementation; - (iv) operationalization of coordination and monitoring/evaluation mechanisms in the field of nutrition; - (v) building the skills of nutrition experts; - (vi) institutionalization of a system of appropriate nutrition monitoring and surveillance; - (viii) accelerated promotion of infant and young child feeding to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, including food fortification. ### Employment: objectives, challenges, and priority actions - Context and challenges: - Employment is a main instrument of poverty reduction. - Two levels to address: (a) growth and revitalization of the private sector to create jobs; (b) absorbing annual masses of youth entering the labor market. - Problem aggravated by rapid growth of the employment-age population, education system failing to adapt, and productive sector unable to offer job opportunities. - Objectives: - (i) include the "job creation" dimension in planning the public expenditure budget; - (ii) enhance the professional skills of job seekers to improve their chances of finding employment; - (iii) promote employment through partnerships with the private sector and using innovative approaches and hiring incentives; - (iv) create an employment-friendly environment by establishing an appropriate legal framework, and financing mechanisms; - (v) build capacity for coordination, steering, programming, and monitoring/evaluation in the sector. - Priority actions: - (i) designing and implementing an employment information system; - (ii) promoting the employment of youth (ANAPEJ); - (iii) increasing and diversifying the provision of technical vocational education; - (iv) implementing a program to develop EIGs; - (v) building and renovating administrative buildings using a labor-intensive approach. - Capacity building measures for stakeholders: - (i) strengthening the national capacity for placement and self-employment of the unemployed based on their profile and skill set; - (ii) establishment of a research fund in the department responsible for employment. - Labor and social welfare priorities: - modernize the labor administration and subordinate structures (CNSS, labor inspectorate, ONMT, etc.); - outfit occupational medicine units; - support the establishment of labor union representation. ### Access to water in rural areas: goals, targets, and actions - Strategic objective in the 2011-2015 PRSP: make lasting improvements in access to safe drinking water and sanitation in terms of quantity, quality, and affordable prices to achieve the MDGs. - MDG goals adopted for 2015: - (i) to supply water to half of the population that had difficulty accessing safe drinking water in 2009; - (ii) to supply water to more than one third of the increased population between 2009 and 2015, namely 1.2 million people. - Specific targets: - (i) improving access to safe drinking water; - (ii) assessing water resources; - (iii) developing surface water; - (iv) promoting public-private partnerships in the area of water resources; - (v) building the capacity of the various players in the sector. - Priority actions to improve access to safe drinking water: - (i) access to safe drinking water in Maghta Lahjar and Chegar; - (ii) provision of safe drinking water to 200 localities with more than 500 inhabitants in rural areas; - (iii) implementation of an emergency water resources program; - (iv) execution of the Dhar project to provide safe drinking water; - (v) rehabilitation of the water distribution systems in towns in the interior; - (vi) integrated management of water resources; - (vii) implementation of the program to establish and equip water points; - (viii) implementation of the AEPA project in rural areas of the south; - (ix) completion of the Aftout Chergui projects (AEP from Foum Gleita); - (x) implementation of the river water project; - (xi) completion of the water resources component of the Indian program; - (xii) construction of AEPs in localities and Aftout Essahili. - Actions to improve understanding and management of water resources: - (i) promoting integrated water resource management (GIRE); - (ii) encouraging transfers of water resources from surplus areas to deficit areas through aqueducts; - (iii) conducting new general hydrogeological studies in different areas of the country; - (iv) mapping water resources in each wilaya using the appropriate scale; - (v) establishing protective parameters to strategically safeguard wellfields in large cities and secondary towns. - Surface water development emphasis: - (i) structuring projects to mobilize surface water (dams, catchment basins, etc.); - (ii) greater investment in mobilizing surface water to meet the demand of the different users; - (iii) human resource training in surface water management and treatment; - (iv) designing a database and a geographic information system on surface water resources. - Institutional change: - Establishment of the rural National Water Services Office (ONSER) to improve water supply, optimize resources, reduce the number of operators, and ensure greater public participation through water management committees. - Public-private partnership actions: - (i) ensuring the sustainability of investments; - (ii) efficiently managing water infrastructures. - Capacity building for stakeholders: - (i) establishing human, material, and financial resources to enable the central departments in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the communes to manage projects; - (ii) hiring more skilled personnel in the decentralized units; - (iii) developing the support and advisory services provided by the regional units to the communes for implementing safe drinking water and sanitation projects. ### Gender, childhood, and population policies - Context: - Socioeconomic factors limit women's access to education and participation in socioeconomic life, contributing to precarious health, high maternal mortality, high fertility rates, and limited access to modern contraceptive methods. - Advancement of women and gender equity: main objective - Help Mauritanian women be free of economic and social constraints that hinder their development and enable them to acquire skills to actively and effectively participate in and contribute to economic and social development. - Actions to achieve gender objectives: - (i) adoption of the National Gender Institutionalization Strategy (SNIG); - (ii) preparation, adoption, and dissemination of a framework law on gender; - (iii) inclusion of gender in program monitoring/evaluation; - (iv) combating gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation; - (v) support for rural women through production initiatives; - (vi) support for the Training Center for the Advancement of Women (CFPF); - (vii) establishment of the “Nevagha” Pension Guarantee Fund. - Supporting measures: - (i) implementation of the IEC/MASEF unit capacity building program; - (ii) implementation of a capacity building and empowerment program for women. - Child protection policy: objectives and priority actions - Objective: development, protection, and promotion of the rights of the child. - Priority actions: - (i) improved access to preschool education; - (ii) support for the implementation of a system of training staff specializing in special education for preschool through the Early Childhood Education Centers (CFPE); - (iii) support for the development of preschool education; - (iv) creation of a center for the protection and social integration of children. - Legal and regulatory reinforcement: - (i) preparing a regulatory and normative framework for preschool; - (ii) implementing child protection systems (VEDAN) in the various wilayas; - (iii) preparing a general code on the rights of the child; - (iv) widespread regional movements to promote the rights of the child. - Population policy: objectives and strategic targets - Background: National Population Policy Statement adopted in 1995 and updated in 2005; objective to consider demographic variables in development planning and to change reproductive behaviors to increase use of modern contraceptive methods and decrease early marriage. - Priority objectives from PRSP II remaining valid: - (i) the reduction of the composite fertility index from 4.7 to 4.2; - (ii) building capacity to implement and monitor the Population Policy Statement; - (iii) balanced regional development that allows people to remain on their land; - (iv) the reduction of gender inequality. - Strategic measures to attain objectives: - (i) adopting an updated Population Policy Statement and regional action plans; - (ii) implementing an IEC strategy in reproductive health; - (iii) increasing the use of reproductive health services; - (iv) economic advancement for women; - (v) collecting reliable and updated statistical information on population indicators taking the gender and regional dimensions into account; - (vii) considering the relationship between population and development; - (viii) mobilizing funds to finance the national population program (PNP); - (ix) strengthening coordination mechanisms between the National Population Commission and support structures. ### Culture, youth and sport - Cultural development policy: objectives - (i) develop national cultural assets; - (ii) promote and develop a culture rooted in the values of the society; - (iii) factor culture into economic and social development. - Priority actions for culture: - (i) the construction of the house of culture; - (ii) the establishment of a National Music Institute; - (iii) execution of the program "Heritage, Tradition, and Creativity for Sustainable Development in Mauritania"; - (iv) establishment of a National House of Fine Arts to house a theater, a conservatory of music, and an art school. - Youth and sport: objectives - (i) safeguard the youth from the threat of drugs, STDs, and HIV/AIDS; - (ii) protect young people from deviant behaviors such as extremism and illegal immigration; - (iii) implement a policy of youth mobilization and training through socio-educational and sporting activities. - Priority measures for youth and sport: - (i) creation of a sporting complex, which includes a covered multipurpose room with a capacity of 3,000, an olympic-sized pool; - (ii) development of the fitness trail in Nouakchott in the beach area; - (iii) construction of an olympic complex seating 20,000 in Nouakchott; - (iv) promotion of sporting activities; - (v) rehabilitation and construction of sporting facilities in the wilayas and moughataas. - Crosscutting note: - Youth will benefit from programs implemented in employment, health, education, and vocational training sectors. ### Universal access to basic services - Strategic priority: public access, particularly by the poor, to basic services (telecommunications, ICTs, electricity, water, sanitation) remains a strategic priority in PRSP III and complements sectoral policies and strategies. *Source: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post (selected sections).* ### 2.168 The objective is to allow the population located in isolated and/or remote areas to ### _cr11252 - 2.168 The objective is to allow the population located in isolated and/or remote areas to ### Integrated services and infrastructure for isolated/remote populations (2.168–2.169) - Objective: allow the population located in isolated and/or remote areas to benefit from the appropriate integrated services and specific infrastructures essential for improving their living conditions. - Planned actions to attain the objective: - Provide water and sanitation to 300 towns, each with a population of over 500 inhabitants, located in the same place as the areas to be electrified. - Develop local or regional energy sources (gas and hydroelectricity, in particular) and renewable sources (wind, solar, and biofuel, in particular) for a more balanced energy mix. - Expand rural electrification by developing hybrid grids tailored to the number of inhabitants in each locality. - Electrification of 108 localities in nine of the most underserved wilayas and support for collective and private initiatives in 192 localities, mainly villages with a population of 500-1200 inhabitants or poor periurban districts. - Launch a national butanization program with a view to poverty reduction and environmental conservation. - Establish national fiber-optic connections for the wilayas. - Implement an ICT dissemination fund and capacity building. - Install 120 public telephone booths in certain towns with populations of 25,000-100,000 inhabitants. ### Promoting good governance and capacity building (PILLAR 4) — overview (2.170–2.172) - Rationale: good governance guarantees effectiveness of public action, establishes conditions for broad-based participation, and creates an environment conducive to investment, wealth creation, and improved competitiveness with a view to reducing poverty. - Dependence: successful implementation of the PRSP for 2011-2015 will depend on good governance based on best practices and capacity building for stakeholders. - Governance areas of focus: - (i) political and democratic governance; - (ii) improving the quality of the justice system in service to the public; - (iii) territorial and local governance; - (iv) economic governance; - (v) environmental governance; - (vi) monitoring of government action by the public; - (vii) capacity building for public sector stakeholders; - (viii) strengthening the participatory approach. ### Improving political and democratic governance (2.173–2.176) - PRSP III objectives: - (i) consolidate democracy and promote human rights; - (ii) strengthen the justice system and the judiciary; - (iii) consolidate national unity. - Planned actions to consolidate democracy: - (i) improvement of the legal framework for political parties and associations; - (ii) codification of the electoral system; - (iii) exploration of the possibility of maintaining the CENI as a permanent structure; - (iv) popularization of the concepts of democracy and civil liberties; - (v) organization of regular annual reviews of voter rolls; - (vi) updating of the system for processing election data; - (vii) capacity building for the Houses of Parliament by modernizing infrastructure and equipment, implementing an efficient information and communications system, and developing services such as translation, electronic voting, the record of parliamentary debates, documentation, and international interparliamentary exchanges. - Priority actions in human rights: - (i) promotion of the national humanitarian action policy; - (ii) enhanced recognition and enforcement of human rights. ### Consolidating national unity and security (2.177–2.178; Box 2.3) - Planned actions to consolidate national unity: - (i) preparation of the national strategy to eradicate the vestiges of slavery; - (ii) continuation of the program for the eradication of the vestiges of slavery; - (iii) continuation of the program to receive and reintegrate repatriated Mauritanians; - (iv) construction and consolidation of rural infrastructure in the Lehdada area. - Actions to address terrorism, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and transborder crime: - (i) prepare and implement a national migration management strategy; - (ii) enhance resources and skills of the armed and security forces; - (iii) continue the National Humanitarian Mine Removal Program for Development and implement the National Anti-mine Strategy, which hinges on three pillars: removal of mines from mined areas, education about the dangers of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs), assistance for the victims of mines, and national anti-mine capacity building; - (iv) increase cooperation at the regional level. - Box 2.3 highlights: - Establishment of the National Agency to Support the Integration of Refugees (ANAIR) in 2008. - A return and reintegration program (PIDL) implemented over a total of 36 months (2011-2013) including basic infrastructure, agricultural-forestry-pastoral activities, income generating activities, and low-cost housing. - Over 20,000 returnees welcomed and reintegrated. - Presidential visit to Kaédi as a symbolic event reinforcing national unity. ### Strengthening the justice system and the judiciary (2.179–2.183) - General objective: improve the quality of justice as a public service. - Specific objectives: - (i) consolidation of the judicial system; - (ii) greater access to the justice system for the public; - (iii) capacity building for judicial system employees; - (iv) better working conditions in the prisons and better living conditions for detainees. - Law reform measures to consolidate the judicial system: - (i) adoption of a law on property rights; - (ii) updating laws and thematic studies; - (iii) review of the order on judicial protection of children to introduce provisions regarding child witnesses and child victims and the adoption of all its implementing decrees; - (iv) drafting of a children’s code. - Measures to improve legal remedies and access: - (i) improving the performance of judges and court clerks; - (ii) establishing a Judicial Training Institute; - (iii) improving the quality of justice as a public service; - (iv) supporting the judicial sector. - Capacity building for judicial stakeholders: - (i) startup of the new judicial training structure; - (ii) implementation of the program to modernize the ENAJM (construction, equipment, program review). - Improvements in prisons and detainee conditions: - (i) improvement of working conditions in the justice system; - (ii) completion of the construction of the main building of the Supreme Court, the Kiffa hall of justice, and the prison in Nouadhibou; - (iii) acquisition of surveillance equipment; - (iv) more hygienic conditions for detainees; - (v) construction of the women's prison in Nouakchott; - (vi) building of a prison in Aleg; - (vii) updating of Ministry of Justice infrastructure. ### Territorial and local governance (2.184–2.189; Boxes 2.4) - Objective: undertake decentralization encompassing interregional complementarities, cohesion, harmony and balance in sharing functions and resources, and broad-based delegation of powers. - Main action areas: decentralization, land-use management, and delegation of central powers. - Decentralization and deconcentration (2.185–2.187): - Decentralization policy statement adopted in April 2010 with pillars: - (i) strengthening and consolidation of the institutional decentralization process; - (ii) promotion of local development; - (iii) financial capacity building for local governments; - (iv) increase in the geographical scope of decentralization; - (v) greater mobilization and education of the public. - Implementation initially through the Local Authority Code (Code des Collectivités Territoriales). - Monitor and evaluate decentralization and local development via a common instrument. - Consolidation through specific programs, in particular PERICLES, VAINCRE, and ART GOLD. - Deconcentration priorities: - (i) research and implement coherent system of partitioning land; - (ii) improve working conditions of authorities by adopting more appropriate staff rules in the short run; - (iii) implement recovery program to rehabilitate administrative archives in local districts; - (iv) build and/or rehabilitate offices and residences of government officials; - (v) refurnish temporary housing, update automobile fleets, office wear, and other accessories. - Land-use management (2.188–2.189; Box 2.4): - Strategic choices set out in framework law 2010-001 of January 7, 2010 governing spatial organization, support for at-risk territories, local development, and the creation and/or reinforcement of business clusters. - Planned actions: - (i) definition and implementation of a land-use management and regional action; - (ii) full implementation of the legal and institutional framework; - (iii) introduction of strategic and operational tools; - (iv) promotion of regional action by implementing specific programs and local business clusters; - (v) funding and expansion of programs and projects, such as PDU, VAINCRE, and PASK by implementing new stages to improve living conditions of target populations through better governance and management of local development. - Box 2.4 emphasizes elimination of spatial inequalities, adoption and promulgation of framework law 2010-01 on land-use management of January 7, 2010, drafting of regulatory texts and establishment of structures such as the National Land-use Management Observatory, preparation of terms of reference for a national land-use management scheme in a participatory process, study on settlements and a national settlement policy, launching the interim program for joint development of the Karakoro basin, and a pilot program on settlements in Hodh El Gharbi. ### Economic governance (2.190–2.192) - Objective: sustainably and effectively manage resources and improve capacity to anticipate, forecast, and plan. - Specific objectives: - (i) efficient and transparent management of public resources and combating all forms of corruption and mismanagement; - (ii) improved planning and programming; - (iii) development of statistical and information systems. - Actions for efficient and transparent management of public resources: - (i) preparing and validating a master plan for public finance reform; - (ii) streamlining and simplifying the authorization, verification, and payment processes; - (iii) redirecting and moralizing expenditure by allocating funding for specific operations to the relevant ministerial departments; - (iv) increasing the efficiency of government expenditure on transportation and housing for civil servants and government officials; - (v) modernizing the customs and tax administrations by automating and improving procedures and by implementing a complete and coherent audit system; - (vi) implementing a new procurement code; - (vii) strengthening budget monitoring institutions, namely the Court of Accounts (Cour des Comptes), Inspector General’s Office (l’Inspection Générale d’Etat), financial comptroller’s office (l’Inspection Générale des Finances), and internal inspectorates in the ministerial departments. *Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post Pages 134–139.* ### 2.193 Combating corruption is a priority for the government. To that end, an ### _cr11252 - 2.193 Combating corruption is a priority for the government. To that end, an ### Anticorruption strategy — overview and objectives - The government adopted an anticorruption strategy intended to end impunity and limit opportunities for evasion, fraud, and misuse of public resources. - Planned actions revolve around: a broad communication and awareness campaign, preventive measures, sanctions, and international cooperation under international and African anticorruption treaties. - The strategy is linked to the President’s electoral program and is integrated into the PRSP phase concerning the National Anticorruption Strategy. ### Box 2.5 — National Anticorruption Strategy (rationale and components) - Rationale: - Corruption flourishes in dysfunctional government entities, cultures of impunity, and weak political will. - Corruption undermines service quality, causes inefficient resource allocation, leads to tax evasion, obstructs competition and investment, compromises development, and harms citizens—particularly the most vulnerable. - Sociopolitical effects include erosion of government legitimacy, laxism, unaccountability, and obstruction of efficient governance. - Core components: - Communication/awareness: sensitize economic operators and the population to the ill effects of corruption; introduce the anticorruption campaign into school and professional curricula. - Prevention: information and awareness for citizens; identification and treatment of sectors most affected by corruption; cleanup of government procurement procedures; implementation of procedures for follow-up of reports of supervisory agencies; enforcement of legal obligations; strict account keeping requirements for economic operators; and greater vigilance. - Sanctions: restore the rule of law; eradicate impunity; codify, complete, and systematically apply sanctions; establish a system for prosecuting anticorruption cases. - International cooperation: transpose international standards into domestic legislation; increase transparency in management of income from the extractive industries; enhance cooperation with all countries in fighting economic and financial crimes. - Monitoring/evaluation: - Strategy contains immediate actions and a medium-term action plan (2011- 2014). - Two-level monitoring mechanisms: (i) the Corruption Observatory, an NGO; and (ii) a monitoring committee, a mixed organization with representatives of government and other stakeholders charged with preparing an annual progress report on implementation of the strategy. ### Other governance measures (planned areas) - Planned additional measures in: - (i) foreign aid coordination; - (ii) government asset management; and - (iii) public enterprise rehabilitation. ### Foreign aid coordination — priority actions - Priority actions will include: - (i) support for programming public investments and establishing effective operational mechanisms to ensure that national commitments are honored under financing agreements within the framework of investment planning; - (ii) better coordination of foreign assistance, particularly by establishing permanent monitoring and coordination structures; - (iii) development of an integrated foreign aid information system and dissemination of reports on that aid; - (iv) implementation of more effective mechanisms for joint management of programs and projects with technical and financial partners, in the spirit of the Paris Declaration on the alignment and harmonization of official development assistance; - (v) a gradual shift towards budgetary support and away from the project approach. ### Government asset management — planned actions - Plans include: - (i) the use of accrual-based accounting; - (ii) capacity building in the Directorate General of Government Property through the introduction of a land information system cum national land register; - (iii) continuation of operations to reclaim/develop state lands, particularly in the city of Nouakchott; - (iv) development of Nouadhibou bay; - (v) operations to inventory land holdings and map out state lands in the regional capitals. ### Public enterprise rehabilitation — priorities - Beyond the government’s settlement of its arrears, emphasis will be on: - (i) more effective management by revising the texts that date back to 1990; - (ii) strengthening of program contracts; - (iii) adoption of codes of good conduct; - (iv) standardization of data collection and fiscal forecasting methods. ### Resource planning and programming (ii) - Planned actions include: - (i) the review of the organic law on the budget to align PRSP, MTEF, PIP, and initial budget law; - (ii) outline of a financial program to make economic forecasts consistent with real sector, fiscal, balance of payments, and monetary sector aggregates; - (iii) improvement and refinement of tools used for estimates and forecasts of economic growth; - (iv) construction of an econometric model to project the impact of public policy on poverty; - (v) drafting of a social accounting matrix before preparing the general equilibrium model to better understand the impact of economic and trade policy; - (vi) capacity building for staff in macroeconomics and statistics; - (vii) implementation of permanent public policy assessment tools. ### Statistical information (iii) and SNDS - To improve administrative statistics, actions will focus on: - (i) carrying out planned activities in the National Statistical Development Strategy (SNDS 2011-2015), particularly capacity building in monitoring/evaluation units of sectoral departments; - (ii) continuation of past economic monitoring efforts to renew the harmonized CPI; - (iii) development of various economic monitoring tools; - (iv) organizational and institutional reform of the National Statistical Office (ONS). - Box 2.6 — Statistical Data: - SNDS references and aims: - The updated National Statistical Development Strategy for 2007-2012 takes into account statistical information needs for monitoring and evaluation of the PRSP III and the MDGs. - The SNDS 2011-2015 includes: (i) a framework for technical and institutional coordination as indicated in Law 2005-017 of January 27, 2005 on government statistics and its implementing decree establishing a National Statistical Council (CNS); (ii) a coherent framework for mobilizing resources; (iii) a vision and framework for continued dialogue with all stakeholders; (iv) a statistical capacity building tool to raise national data production to the standard required as a result of the country’s participation in the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) since 2004. - Implementation of the SNDS 2011-2015 is expected to improve performance, coordination, and the ability to satisfy monitoring/evaluation requirements of the PRSP III and the MDGs. ### Environmental governance (e) - Strategic priorities (2011-2015 PRSP): - Combat global warming and pursue sustainable environmental management as key governance pillars. - Prioritize environmental governance by understanding environmental and climatic problems across sectors. - Main objectives: - (i) take into account climate risk and sustainable land and natural resource management in development strategies and programs; - (ii) improve environmental governance; - (iii) build national capacity to monitor climate change. - Actions to incorporate climate risk and sustainable management include: - (i) development of natural productive capital; - (ii) sustainable land and natural resource management; - (iii) soil remediation; - (iv) integrated management of water resources, fishery resources, forests, and ecosystems with attention to wetlands; - (v) biodiversity conservation; - (vi) increased involvement of stakeholders from the river resources sector. - Priority measures to strengthen environmental governance: - (i) support for environmental Information-Education-Communication, an updated legal base, improved institutional mechanism, and an environmental action plan tied to the GDDS; - (ii) equipment of a national laboratory for environmental monitoring and tracking; - (iii) assessment of risk of water pollution in the Senegal river as part of the Aftout Essahili project; - (iv) setup of a wetlands observatory in Mauritania; - (v) establishment of protected areas, in particular Guelb Richat; - (vi) better protection of pasture land and prevention of bushfires, including establishing a permanent structure to deal with these problems; - (vii) rehabilitation and conservation of classified forests and promotion of planting trees adapted to dry lands, contributing to the Grande Muraille Verte greening project; - (xiii) implementation of the shoreline environmental project. - Actions to monitor climate change: - (i) continued pilot projects to protect against coastal erosion and protect Nouakchott against the rising level of the sea and from silting through the Nouakchott anti-silting project; - (ii) incorporation of risk and natural disaster management in sectoral policies; - (iii) providing relevant entities with means to address migration and climate change issues, programs on renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, biofuel), energy efficiency and energy management (buildings, equipment, transport). ### Greater public scrutiny of government action (f) - Emphasis on strengthening democracy by effectively involving civil society in defining, implementing, and monitoring development policies. - PRSP preparation involved civil society in formulation, implementation, and monitoring of action plans. - Priority actions over the next five years: - (i) support for non-state actors; - (ii) continuation of the NGO professionalism support fund (FAPONG); - (iii) implementation of phase II of the FAPONG; - (iv) execution of a project to support civil society and good governance; - (v) strengthening of civil society in rural areas. - Additional planned actions beyond adoption of a specific law organizing NGOs and associations: - (i) independent mapping of CSOs led by a committee of civil society and government representatives to monitor technical and financial partners of the CSOs; - (ii) establishment of a national civil society capacity building fund (FNRC/SC); - (iii) creation of “Dar el Moujtama Elmedeni” (the Civil Society House) equipped with a working documentation center; - (iv) setup of a mechanism to monitor activities of international NGOs and partner them with local organizations for field activities; - (v) facilitate access of CSOs to loans from banks and microfinance institutions; - (vi) study to set up an independent civil society observatory. ### Communications sector development (a) - Communications actions to mobilize stakeholders for poverty reduction include: - (i) liberalization of the audiovisual sector; - (ii) preparation of a media development strategy; - (iii) support for labor organizations and communications networks operating in the sector; - (iv) acquisition of a digital network of 35 multichannel terrestrial broadcasting stations (TNT); - (v) activation of a national FM relay network with coverage of rural towns; - (vi) digitalization of the Radio Mauritania sound archives; - (vii) preparation and implementation of a communications for development strategy tied to the PRSP process with action plans targeting administrations, executing agencies, civil society, beneficiaries, partners, etc. - Box 2.7 — Communications highlights: - Legal and institutional reforms (2006-2010) included establishment of HAPA, draft laws on freedom of the press and liberalization of audiovisual media, opening official media to political parties and civil society, establishment of a second television network (TVM plus), transformation of second Radio-Mauritanie into a rural radio for public awareness, assistance for printing newspapers, journalist training, and focal points for communications in all ministerial departments. - Parliament adopted a law on audiovisual communications to liberalize the audiovisual media, remove censorship, and transform government-dependent mass media into public service institutions. - Planned activities during the third phase of the PRSP include advancing reforms, preparing and implementing a communications for development strategy, drafting a media development strategy, supporting labor unions and communications networks, and monitoring and evaluating mass communications services. ### National capacity building for public sector stakeholders (g) - Planned objectives: - (i) improve the institutional and organizational framework; - (ii) develop human resources; - (iii) improve the quality of public service and customer relations; - (iv) develop information and communications technologies. - Actions to strengthen institutional and organizational framework: - (i) reorganization of government agencies based on a comprehensive audit analyzing functions, duties, administrative organization, and procedures on the basis of strategic objectives; - (ii) determination of rules of deconcentration in support of decentralization; - (iii) streamlining, formalization, and automation of procedures and methods of government agency management. *Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 Post Page 140-143* ### 2.212 With respect to human resource development, emphasis will be placed on: (i) ### _cr11252 - 2.212 With respect to human resource development, emphasis will be placed on: (i) ### Human resource development — planned emphasis (paragraph 2.212) - Implementing legal provisions to harmonize and simplify the civil service compensation system, adoption of specific rules and regulations, and confirmation of nonpermanent staff. - Implementation of a code of good conduct. - Preparation of a manual of procedures for human resource management and an information guide on regulations and ethics for government employees. - Establishment of a forward-looking system for managing recruitment and staffing. - Preparation and implementation of in-service training programs for government employees. - Establishment and implementation of the system for evaluating the performance of civil servants and government agencies and its use in awarding distinctions, promotions, and salary increases. ### Institutional and organizational framework actions to improve public service quality (paragraph 2.213) - Draft a priority plan to replenish and maintain equipment in government agencies and adapt the government capital budget to new investment needs. - Simplify administrative procedures and formalities. - Establish communication mechanisms between government agencies and users: - Creation of working customer service centers. - Information and assistance to the public. - Development of instruments to monitor public opinion by conducting a survey to establish a baseline for the reform. - Draft a public service charter. - Reorganize and digitalize administrative archives. - Institutionalize the requirement to respond to customer requests and to take administrative action. - Execute the public sector capacity building project. - Execute the modernization program. ### Strengthening the use of ICTs (paragraph 2.214) - Incorporation of the central government in the broadband network to share (messaging, IP telephony, scheduling, e-mail management) and use sectoral information systems, which are managed in a pool to reduce costs and compensate for the dearth of highly qualified personnel. - Expansion of the government agency intranet in Nouakchott and in the interior. - Modernization of RAC services. ### Participatory approach to PRSP action plan preparation and sustained commitment (paragraphs 2.215–2.217) - The PRSP action plan drafting process was participatory and involved all development stakeholders to ensure ownership by executing agencies. - Four levels of broad-based consultation were used: - (i) Interministerial Poverty Reduction Committee (CILP) — space for dialogue and exchange on leadership; in charge of implementing and supervising formulation, execution, and monitoring/evaluation of the PRSP. - (ii) Different technical committees (CTLP, CTS, GTT, etc.) — framework for technical-level dialogue and exchange. - (iii) Permanent consultative mechanisms (Government-Private Sector-Civil Society Consultative Committee, Government-Donor Consultative Committee) — establish ongoing consultation between stakeholders beyond PRSP formulation and implementation on economic and social development questions. - (iv) National Consultative Conference — met on February 12-13, 2011 in Nouakchott; broader consultative framework including central government, wilayas (walis), deconcentrated units, parliamentarians, local elected officials, political parties, private sector, university professors, press, civil society, and Mauritania's technical and financial partners (TFPs). - The National Conference produced a detailed report identifying main recommendations for areas not addressed in the initial action plan; these recommendations are summarized in Box 2.8 and the institutional mechanism is presented in Annex 2. ### Main recommendations of the National Consultative Conference (Box 2.8; summarized by pillar and subject) - Pillar I. Acceleration of Economic Growth and Stabilization of the Macroeconomic Framework: - Action plan should present at least two scenarios, best case and worst case. - Deepening structural reform: (i) activate the BCM unit responsible for the settlement of productive sector debt; and (ii) protect infant industries. - Transport sector: develop an indicator of its development over the period. - ICTs: reinvestment of ICT revenue should be better targeted to make a greater contribution to growth. - Optimum use of growth sources: (i) take practical measures to better integrate the industrial fishing sector into the economy; (ii) further encourage investment in tourist accommodation facilities (hotel infrastructure); and (iii) create a fund to finance craft activities. - Agriculture and livestock: (i) take practical measures to better integrate livestock and agriculture; (ii) implement agricultural projects on schedule; (iii) expand monitoring/evaluation to all types of farming (irrigated and rainfed); (iv) establish a high-quality seed market; (v) build the capacity of livestock farmers and pastoral organizations; and (vi) consolidate and increase measures to improve relationships between crop and animal farmers. - Pillar II. Anchoring growth in the environment of the poor: - National food security policy: (i) diversify income sources in rural areas; and (ii) implement appropriate natural disaster prevention and crisis response mechanisms. - Urban development: (i) accelerate improvement of slum areas and seek synergies among stakeholders; (ii) design, systematize, and implement urban management and regulation tools; and (iii) clarify functions and powers of stakeholders in urban areas. - Microfinance and microenterprise: promote development of microfinance services at the national level, especially in rural areas. - Social protection: improve social protection (health coverage). - Pillar III. Human resource development and expansion of basic services: - Education: (i) outreach to qualified retired teachers to bridge skills gap; (ii) use the school map in planning new schools; (iii) create conditions for providing education in isolated areas; (iv) create better school groupings to improve resource efficiency; and (v) establish school canteens in all the wilayas. - Health and nutrition: (i) redeploy medical specialists to country areas; (ii) revitalize primary health care with community participation (at the moughataa level); (iii) consider moughataa population size in sharing health infrastructure resources; (iv) take more decisive action to prevent certain illnesses, such as viruses, including hepatitis; and (v) provide health centers in the moughataas with ambulances to reduce maternal infant mortality and increase hospitals' logistical resources for epidemiological surveillance. - Access to water in rural areas: (i) enhance coordination among stakeholders in water resources; and (ii) equitably distribute water works infrastructure across regions. - Gender, childhood, and population policy: (i) step up efforts related to the gender strategy to capitalize on PRSP II achievements; and (ii) encourage widespread provision of preschool education in all the moughataas. - Pillar IV. Improve governance and capacity building: - Political and democratic governance: (i) develop national languages; (ii) promote civil liberties and human rights; (iii) include conflict prevention in policies to consolidate national unity; (iv) review the electoral system with a view to abandoning proportional representation and the national slate; and (v) accelerate decentralization reform to promote democratic practices. - Economic governance: (i) increase the impact of natural resource use and distribute wealth more fairly; (ii) adopt the framework law for the national anticorruption strategy; and (iii) increase employee income (salaries and benefits). - Environmental governance: (i) take into account the recent institutional review of the environmental sector; (ii) set up a specific plan for the environment and explore environmental financing mechanisms; (iii) make the population aware of the staged implementation of environmental impact studies; and (iv) include environmental components in all development projects. - Enhance public scrutiny of government action: (i) build capacity of stakeholders involved in implementing development programs; (ii) increase involvement of CSOs in design, monitoring, implementation and development programs; and (iii) develop professionalism within CSOs. - National capacity building for public sector stakeholders (administrative governance): (i) introduce skill sets and qualification criteria as the basis for recruitment to administrative positions; and (ii) systematically apply the principle of punishments and rewards. - Communications: (i) increase financial resources allocated to the communications sector; and (ii) expand coverage of public financing to private sector stakeholders in the communications field. - Pillar V. Enhanced steering, coordination, and monitoring/evaluation of the PRSP: - Monitoring and evaluation: (i) entrust work of the Sectoral Technical Committees (CTS) to the divisions that prepare monitoring and evaluation schedules in sectoral departments; (ii) make greater use of statistics available from administrative sources in PRSP monitoring; and (iii) include foreign financing flows in the battery of reporting tools. ### Enhanced steering, coordination, and monitoring/evaluation of PRSP III (paragraphs 2.218–2.222) - Drivers of growing awareness on capacity building for evaluating public policies include: - (i) substantial changes in development frameworks (MDGs, PRSP/DSRP, NEPAD, etc.) and ODA modalities (Paris Declaration, Africa Initiative) which included evaluation as a core component; - (ii) a growing demand for evaluation from governments, development partners, and evaluation professionals; - (iii) emphasis on national capacity building and improved knowledge organization and management; - (iv) increasing demand by civil society for information on public policy outcomes and impact. - Mauritania has undertaken major reforms to reduce poverty, ensure good governance, combat corruption, provide good public financial management, and improve public policy effectiveness. - The first two PRSP action plans were based on an extensive matrix including indicators that were difficult to use because many of them were not reported. - Authorities decided to take a new approach and established a more relevant monitoring/evaluation system based on real progress. ### Institutional optimization and legal/regulatory framework actions (paragraphs 2.223–2.227) - Maintain participatory approach but differentiate midterm review procedure (covers various dimensions of poverty) from procedure to prepare status reports on PRSP implementation. - Make monitoring and evaluation mandatory by revising existing legal and regulatory framework and adapting it to PRSP needs. Existing framework includes: - (i) the framework law on poverty reduction; - (ii) the decree establishing a PRSP steering mechanism; and - (iii) the National Statistical Development Strategy. - Planned actions: - (i) analysis of weaknesses of the current mechanism; - (ii) capitalizing on successes of other countries in this area; - (iii) organization of a consultation between all stakeholders involved; and - (iv) preparation and adoption of the framework law on monitoring/evaluation in Mauritania. - CTSs will be chaired by heads of programming and monitoring units in sectoral departments; CTS meetings to be held regularly and documents establishing these committees and procedures will be revised. - Physical and human resources of the PRSP Coordination Unit will be increased. ### Enhancing coordination, alignment, and harmonization (paragraphs 2.228–2.229) - Government action under PRSP III coordinated by PRSP units identified in Decree 2007-103: the CILP (chaired by the Prime Minister) and the CTLP. - A biannual coordination meeting between government and TFPs is scheduled. - Consultation between government, private sector, and civil society will be improved by reviving the committee established for that purpose. - Alignment and harmonization of external assistance: government will continue efforts to implement the Paris Declaration by: - (i) updating and executing the national action plan to implement the Paris Declaration; - (ii) preparing a master plan of public financial reform; - (iii) implementing reforms to gain access to budgetary support to replace the project approach in the long term; - (iv) aligning all programming tools (PRSP, MTEF, PIP, LFI); and - (v) coordinating with TFPs through regular meetings (biannual monitoring meetings, consultative groups, roundtables, etc.). ### Operationalizing PRSP III monitoring and evaluation — rationale and indicator framework (paragraphs 2.230–2.234; Box 2.9) - Decisions for indicator approach: - (i) reduce the number of indicators; - (ii) rely on a variety of available indicators (surveys or annual administrative statistics); - (iii) ensure each indicator has a baseline and a target value; - (iv) draw up a matrix of indicators that would evolve over time; - (v) improve quality of documentation on each indicator used. - Types and counts of indicators (paragraph 2.231): - Impact indicators (30), including: - 19 for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); - 6 for monitoring the poverty profile; - 5 for monitoring the macroeconomic framework; - Output indicators (28) to assess major developments in sectoral strategies; - Performance indicators (13) to measure the physical progress of large infrastructure projects in health, urban development, roads, education, and energy; - Input indicators (3) to assess efforts made by the government in key sectors such as health and education. - The tracking matrix initially included 74 indicators; only existing indicators that meet customary standards (Specific; Measurable; Attainable/ambitious; Realistic; Temporal — baseline before 2011 and target in 2015) are to be used. - Matrix will evolve to respond to monitoring/evaluation needs without risk of unreported indicators. - If current indicators meet established criteria, they can be used in the basic matrix and no backtracking (subsequent removal of an indicator) is possible. _Italic: Source — Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 (excerpts as provided)._ ### 2.235 An ongoing dialogue with the sectoral departments, particularly at the time of the ### _cr11252 - 2.235 An ongoing dialogue with the sectoral departments, particularly at the time of the ### Reporting tools and implementation framework - Purpose: regularly provide reliable information to decision-makers and PRSP stakeholders to determine resource mobilization, degree of implementation of planned actions, and program slippage. - Initial stage: the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development (MAED) will immediately draw up a datasheet for each indicator including at minimum: - (i) basic information (name, targeted objectives, etc.); - (ii) method of developing the indicator and its quality (data collection method, calculation, frequency, breakdown, etc.); - (iii) executing agencies; - (iv) interpretation modalities; - (v) possible data series; - (vi) comments and other information. - Consultative frameworks to be formalized with sectoral departments will enable MAED structures to prepare periodic status reports and preliminary assessments of expected indicator performance. ### Information system tools (second stage) - Input tables (tableaux de suivi des resources): - Provide a detailed view of budget execution. - Prepared on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. - Used for biannual consultative meetings of PRSP stakeholders. - Managed by the Ministry of Finance and transmitted to MAED. - Quarterly sectoral indicators (tableau de bord trimestriel sectoriel): - Responsibility of the CTSs. - Will include: (i) status report on implementation of sectoral priority actions; (ii) quarterly reportable indicators; (iii) overall comments on expenditure execution; (iv) recommendations for short-term decisions. - Executive summary (note de synthèse): - Prepared biannually based on input tables and quarterly sectoral indicators. - Reports main outputs over the six-month period (overall and sectoral rates of physical progress in priority actions, rate of expenditure execution). - Concentrates on critical areas requiring immediate decisions. - Responsibility of relevant MAED units. - Annual Report on PRSP implementation: - Takes stock of performance for the year and the revised schedule of priority actions for the remaining years covered by the action plan. - PRSP impact assessment reports: - Scheduled for preparation in 2013 and at the end of the third phase of the PRSP in 2015. - A consultative process will validate the annual impact assessment reports. ### Data sources and planned data collection (2011–2015) - Indicators reported based on two data sources: - (i) indicators calculated from surveys; - (ii) indicators calculated annually or within the year as administrative statistics. - Planned surveys for 2011-2015: - (i) the Rolling Survey of Living Conditions (EPCV) in 2012; - (ii) the “1 2 3” Survey of the informal sector; - (iii) the employment survey in 2012; - (iv) the annual food security, business, and agricultural sector surveys; - (v) the MICS Surveys in 2011 and 2015. - Planned censuses: - (i) the General Population and Housing Census (RGPH) in 2011; - (ii) the agro-pastoral census in 2013. ### Key indicators and 2015 targets (selected highlights from the PRSP 2011–2015 monitoring matrix) - Millennium Development Goals and poverty indicators: - Incidence of poverty: Baseline 2004 46.70 %, Current status 2008 42%, Target for 2015 25% - Share of the poorest quintile in national consumption: Baseline 2004 6.7%, Current status 2008 6.30%, Target for 2015 >10% - Poverty gap: Baseline 2004 7%, Current status 2008 6.10%, Target for 2015 4% - Proportion of households living in slums: Baseline 2004 33%, Current status 2008 32.50%, Target for 2015 0% - Net rate of enrollment in primary school (TNS): Baseline 2004 40. 2%, Current status 2009 73%, Target for 2015 85% - Adult illiteracy rates (ages 15+): Baseline 2004 42.50%, Current status 2008 38.50%, Target for 2015 15% - Infant mortality rate (per mil): Baseline 2000 87, Current status 2007 77, Target for 2015 40 - Maternal mortality rate (per 100.000): Baseline 2000 747, Current status 2007 686, Target for 2015 300 - Malnutrition rate (weight for age) among children under age 5: Baseline 2004 30.2%, Current status 2007 29.8%, Target for 2015 10% - Proportion of population with access to safe drinking water (rural and semi-urban): Baseline 2004 52%, Current status 2008 62%, Target for 2015 74% - Proportion of households with access to improved sanitation: Baseline 2004 19.7%, Current status 2008 21.8%, Target for 2015 70% - Poverty monitoring: - Extreme poverty index: Baseline 2004 28.80%, Current status 2008 26.80%, Target for 2015 16% - Number of poor people (in thousands): Baseline 2004 1 320, Current status 2008 1 284, Target for 2015 924 - Gini Index: Baseline 2004 39.30%, Current status 2008 38%, Target for 2015 40.50% - GDP per capita in USD: Baseline 2004 542, Current status 2009 940, Target for 2015 1 374 - Macroeconomic indicators: - Average annual GDP growth: Baseline 2004 5.2, Current status 2009 -1.2%, Target for 2015 4.7% - Average budget deficit (excluding grants and oil) (in percent of nonoil GDP): Baseline 2004 -8.0%, Current status 2009 -8.0%, Target for 2015 -2.2% - Current deficit excluding official transfers (in percent of GDP): Baseline 2004 -38.7%, Current status 2009 -14.6%, Target for 2015 -2.9% - Inflation rate: Baseline 2004 10.4, Current status 2008 7.3%, Target for 2015 5.0% - Gross reserves (in months of imports): Baseline 2004 0.6, Current status 2008 2.1, Target for 2015 2.8 (2013) - Output indicators (selected): - Number of tourists: Baseline 2004 40 000, Current status 2008 72 000, Target for 2015 100 000 - Available beds (accommodation capacity): Baseline 2004 1410, Current status 2008 9503, Target for 2015 15 000 - Length of paved roads (in KM): Current status 2005 2012, Target for 2015 4858 - Time needed to establish a business: Baseline 2004 60 days, Current status 2008 10-30 days, Target for 2015 5-10 days - Doing Business Classification of Mauritania: Current status 2010 166, Target for 2015 156 - Gross enrollment rate (GER) in primary school: Baseline 2004 95.10%, Current status 2009 99%, Target for 2015 100% - BAC (high school diploma) pass rate: Current status 2009 17%, Target for 2015 30% - Number of Internet subscribers: Current status 2008 9693, Target for 2015 400 000 - Number of telephone subscribers per 1,000 inhabitants: Current status 2008 628, Target for 2015 900 - Proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament: Baseline 2004 2%, Current status 2008 18%, Target for 2015 35% - Tax burden: Baseline 2006 17.20%, Current status 2009 14.10%, Target for 2015 16.10% - Share of renewable energy in national electricity production: Baseline <1%, Target for 2015 15% - Buffer stock levels (in metric tons): Baseline 0, Target for 2015 20000 - Input and performance indicators (selected project statuses, baseline year 2010): - Status of the Nouakchott sanitation project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the water supply system construction project in Nouakchott: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the Université de Nouakchott campus construction project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the Nouakchott-Rosso road rehabilitation project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the Atar-Tidjikja road construction project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the health center construction, rehabilitation, and equipment project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the Nouakchott power plant project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - Status of the Nouadhibou wind farm construction project: 2010 0% → Target for 2015 100% - The entity established to lead public finance reform operates normally and meets every year at least once a quarter and the SDR-GFP is compliant and satisfactorily implemented: 2010 No → Target for 2015 Yes - Establishment and proper operation of an IT department in the MoF: 2010 No → Target for 2015 Yes - Audits of the main IT applications and the MoF’s IT master plan have been completed and are being implemented under the authority of the tax department (DGI): 2010 No → Target for 2015 Yes - The TSA was reintroduced: 2010 No → Target for 2015 Yes - Share of health spending in the government budget (2006/2009): 4.50% → Target for 2015 8-10% - Current expenses of the MEF as a percentage of the government’s current expenditure (excluding debt): 2009 9.60% → Target for 2015 10% - FRD funds (in UM millions): Baseline 2004 2700, Current status 2009 3000, Target for 2015 3 500 *Document: Volume 2: Action Plan 2011-2015 (excerpt provided).* --- _Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2011/_cr11252.pdf_