• Mauritania and Morocco sign agriculture, veterinary cooperation agreements in Nouakchott

• Deals establish new schools, training programmes, and joint research initiatives

• Partnership targets food security, skills gaps, climate pressures

Mauritania and Morocco signed two cooperation agreements in agriculture and veterinary medicine on Jan. 15 in Nouakchott.

According to media reports, Mauritania’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Morocco’s Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine agreed to expand specialised training and build skilled staff.

The first agreement, backed by the Islamic Development Bank, includes plans to establish an agricultural engineering school in Kaédi and a veterinary school in Néma. Fifteen doctoral students will form the initial teaching staff, alongside ongoing training for technical and administrative personnel.

The second agreement focuses on research and innovation. It sets up a partnership between the Hassan II Institute and the Higher Institute of Technological Education in Rosso to launch joint projects, share expertise and develop online learning.

Abdelaziz El Hraiki, director of the Hassan II Institute, said the agreements were an example of South-South cooperation aimed at strengthening local skills and addressing food security and climate risks. Morocco’s ambassador to Mauritania, Hamid Chabar, said the programmes would help develop crop and livestock resources and boost productivity.

The initiative comes as both countries face pressure on their farm sectors. In Mauritania, agriculture accounts for about 21% of GDP and 34% of employment, but only around 0.5% of the country’s territory is under cultivation. In Morocco, despite efforts to diversify farming and adopt more sustainable practices, the sector remains vulnerable to drought and rural job losses, the World Bank said. Morocco is rolling out climate-resilience programmes to stabilise yields and protect employment.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou