• Mauritania launches SME support desk to boost jobs
• Program helps firms access financing, training, and credit
• Initiative targets youth unemployment and informal sector challenges

Mauritania plans to support small and medium-sized enterprises to boost job creation. As part of the initiative, authorities opened a business support desk in Nouakchott on Thursday, April 2.

The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Employment, Sports and Civic Service, Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Louly, and the Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, Abdallahy Souleimane Cheikh Sidiya, attended the inauguration.

The desk operates under the National Employment Agency (Techghil) and helps SMEs access financing. It also guides entrepreneurs and helps them prepare applications. Three agreements were signed to finance 1,000 companies, improve access to bank credit and support specialised training.

According to the Mauritanian News Agency, the programme is now operational and provides direct support to entrepreneurs, aiming to strengthen their technical and financial capabilities.

The programme is part of a broader strategy for youth empowerment and economic development, with a focus on local initiatives. It comes as Mauritania’s SME ecosystem remains fragile.

SMEs account for up to 80% of jobs in developing economies, according to the minister. A World Bank report shows that more than 90% of employment was informal in 2025, limiting productivity and the transition to the formal sector. Youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 reached 22.92% that year.

According to Afrobarometer, nearly half (47%) of people aged 18 to 35 are unemployed but actively seeking work, slightly above the national average of 44%. The NEET rate, defined as youth not in employment, education or training, stands at 44.1%.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou