EU strengthens partnership with Mauritania for security and energy

Brussels – Strengthening the partnership between the EU and Mauritania, in terms of security and from a green perspective: This was the reason that prompted today the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to stop in Nouakchott and meet with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani, together with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

At the centre of the meeting was a roadmap, which will be finalized in the spring along with a 210 million euro financial package by the end of the year for migration management, humanitarian aid for refugees, and investment in jobs, skills, and entrepreneurship, under the Global Gateway, the EU’s funding strategy. “I think of the current instability in the Sahel, but also of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its terrible consequences for the world, and for Africa in particular. In such a context, it is natural that we want to strengthen our partnership even more,” she said.

On the one hand, security. On the other, energy. “The situation in the Sahel is very precarious and Mauritania plays a key role in ensuring stability in the region. That is why we are increasing our support for security with an additional 22 million euros, bringing this year’s total to 40 million euros. In particular, this will fund the equipping of a new Mauritanian battalion to fight terrorism and protect the eastern border with Mali, as well as fund the training of senior officers at the Defence Academy,” she said.

On the energy front, Brussels aims to build a green hydrogen ecosystem right here in Mauritania,” von der Leyen clarified while taking part in a panel discussion devoted to hydrogen. “And for such an undertaking, such a task, predictability is essential.” She recalled the EU’s clean hydrogen commitments: 10 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030 produced in the EU and another 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen imported from abroad. “So, we have to work very hard domestically but we also need partners abroad,” she said.

As part of the European Hydrogen Bank, Brussels plans to open a call for third-country companies to purchase clean hydrogen in the coming months and meet those goals. So, it seeks to pave the way for on-site production. “Mauritania is endowed with resources, namely space, sun, and wind. With the right investments and infrastructure, this country can harness more than 350 gigawatts of renewable energy from wind and sun alone,” she further says, emphasizing the country’s role also as Africa’s “second largest iron producer.” Most of the iron is exported as raw ore. But according to the president if “clean energy comes into play, the processing into green steel could stay here in Mauritania.” But that’s what hydrogen is for.

The European Union, through its €300 billion Global Gateway investment strategy, will finance new road infrastructure between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, Mauritania, to efficiently develop the green hydrogen sector. Among other things, von der Leyen announced EU support for the Mauritanian government’s “major efforts to generate the electricity necessary for the country’s socio-economic development, in particular through rural electrification programs. Brussels is also considering offering financial support for the construction of the high-voltage line between Nouakchott and Néma, which is an important component of the subregional electricity grid platform.