• The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved €25.5 million in funding to boost Mauritanian SMEs and stimulate inclusive growth.
• Mauritania’s SMEs, which represent 80% of the country’s economic fabric, remain underserved by traditional banking systems.
• A stronger focus on vocational training and entrepreneurship could help transform them into engines of youth and women’s employment.

Mauritania has secured a €25.5 million ($30 million) financing facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to spur job creation and vocational training, the bank announced on June 27.

The funding will be channeled through the General Bank of Mauritania (GBM), a key lender focused on SMEs, with a particular emphasis on businesses led by women. The facility is intended to finance equipment imports in priority sectors including energy, fishing, agro-industry, and telecommunications.

Leila Boumatou, CEO of GBM, welcomed the partnership, saying it “goes beyond financial support” and represents a “lever for inclusive growth” that empowers entrepreneurs, especially women, to translate ambitions into concrete results.

SMEs constitute nearly 80% of Mauritania’s economic fabric and account for 45.8% of employment, according to a 2021 study. However, World Bank data shows that SMEs receive only about 12% of bank loans, with the remaining 88% going to large enterprises.

The AfDB’s initiative aims to bridge this financing gap and strengthen GBM’s capacity to support SMEs, fostering local investment, skills development, and job creation—particularly for youth and women.

Success will depend on financial institutions’ ability to provide support beyond credit, including management training, vocational education, and integration into local value chains. Similar programs in Morocco and Senegal have doubled SME survival rates within two years.

For Mauritania, the challenge remains to make such support a sustainable driver of economic inclusion.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou