Mauritania - Islamic Development Bank

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Integrated Rural Development programs, involving community participation. This strategy was to be implemented through a set of policies and in a coordinated and decentralized manner: (i) promotion of the main agricultural value chains wedged on the macroeconomic framework and targeting quality products and Diversification; (ii) development of rural infrastructure, (iii) institutional strengthening and organization of the sector, and (iv) policies to protect natural resources. 81. For the livestock sector, the main objectives of the Government inscribed in the 2009 Policy Letter are: (i) to increase the sector’s growth in a sustainable manner and with redistribution, and (ii) to reduce vulnerability of households living from livestock, in accordance with the guidelines of the PRSP. 82. The Action Plan for the PRSP III (2011-2015) proposes an investment program for the rural sector covers that would cost UM 155billion, equivalent to approximately USD 584 million, in combination with a strong emphasis on the role of the private sector. This program aims at improving productivity and incomes in the sector and is concentrated in the regions where the poorest populations live. 83. IDB Group and all other donors fully agree and support the above government strategies, which have been consistent for the last 15 years. The problem Mauritania faces is the government inability to fully and truly carry out the implementation of these strategies and to take all the measures that are recommended. High turnover of decision makers and senior government agencies staff and general mismanagement have been the main impediments. There are also questions about the continuing need to subsidize agriculture in irrigated areas. 3.5 Proposed IDB Group Interventions 84. Agriculture and rural development requires a multi sector and integrated approach. Government support to agriculture alone has shown its limits especially in irrigated areas. Given the lessons learned from the past showing lack of impact of major government interventions, including subsidies, there should be an early end to subsidies and to Government interventions in irrigated agriculture except where justified on an exceptional basis and the private sector should be encouraged to take a lead role 7 . Instead, the focus of government interventions should now be on rain fed agriculture to enhance food security and reduce poverty. With this view, the Government should encourage a supply chain approach (approche filière) to address food security involving all partners from input supply to production, processing and market. Production alone will not guaranty food security and will not alleviate poverty. All steps in the supply chain are important and necessary. Agriculture development remains the top activity for the food insecure rural communities. IDB Group promotes such approach in the following areas and intends to provide financing of about $250 million to promote the following activities. (a) In the irrigated areas, IDB would support the consolidation of rice production system, crop diversification and intensive dairy farming. This will be done by improving or rehabilitating existing irrigated schemes rather than creating new ones (improving land leveling, irrigation and drainage and introducing electrification), securing land tenure and credit, training farmers and technicians, supporting the creation and/or maintenance of access road and transport infrastructure, developing processing units and securing markets. Priority products are rice, new crops (diversification) for local and export markets, and milk. Inland fishing will be part of the integrated approach to be adopted. (b) In the rain fed areas, IDB would support integrated rural development approach 7 The IDB Group plans to play an important role in promoting the role of the private sector in irrigated agriculture in Mauritania. It will do so both through ICD and in its interactions with the Coordination Group, to support new models for Arab-African investment that can benefit from the synergy with Member Countries that have surplus cash and consumer markets with those that have the knowledge and know-how (for example, Egypt, Morocco etc.) At the same time, to facilitate public-private partnerships in agricultural investments, the Bank will be working closely with the Government of Mauritania to help resolve the constraints noted above in Section V.3.2 that irrigated agriculture has faced in the past decade, and continues to face. MCPS for Mauritania, 2011-2015 21
22 focused on watershed development. Communities located in food insecure areas will be selected on a watershed basis. Community Development Plans will be elaborated and executed by the communities with the assistance of public, private or NGO partners. Activities to be supported include water harvesting, soil conservation and protection, agriculture and livestock production, inland fishing, local capacity building, rural access road and other socioeconomic infrastructure. (c) IDB Group programs for rural development will aim to include road infrastructure to enhance market access to local communities. The contribution of the IDB to infrastructure development is already facilitating regional integration projects (connections Nouakchott- Nouadhibou to Morocco, and corridors to Mali involving participation to financing: Timbédra- Nema and Ayoun el Atrous –Nioro roads). Moreover, access to far-flung isolated areas is being supported by the creation of a new north-south corridor via Atar-Tidjikja-Kifa, which in addition to its regional counterpart, has eased access to the country’s interior areas. (d) In the pastoral areas, IDB support to livestock would be at two levels: (i) as part of the integrated approach recommended for the irrigated and rain fed areas and (ii) at national level to deal with the larger animal population practicing transhumance. For the latter, IDB support would consider supporting the national animal health program and to the development of the milk, red meat and hide industries through the Private Sector Development window. This would be done in coordination with Pillar 3. (e) IDB support to inland fisheries will be included in the projects for irrigated and rain fed areas outlined above. For inland fisheries, IDB considers that it should be part of the Rural Development and Food Security pillar as it is mainly carried out on a small scale, on small bodies of water in rural communities and mainly for local consumption and markets. (f) It is proposed that ITFC participates in the financing of imports of food and agriculture inputs under Sovereign Risk. Alongside with foodstuff imports, ITFC can play strategic role in supporting the development of local agriculture production, through the financing of seeds, fertilizers and other agriculture products. Discussions with SONIMEX showed that this could be a potential cooperation area starting 2011 forwards. (g) ICIEC could provide political risk insurance to foreign investors willing to invest in the agriculture sector in Mauritania. In addition, ICIEC may support the agriculture sector in Mauritania by providing credit insurance to exporters, covering the non-payment risk of their overseas buyers. Exports of fisheries, livestock and other agricultural products could be considered in this regard. (h) The IDB Group should play a significant role in the realization of cross-border initiatives between Mauritania and its neighbor countries which are all member countries. In this regard, the recent initiative launched between Mauritania and Mali to enhance economic development in the city of Gougui (Mauritania) and the city of Nouara (Mali) could be supported by the IDB Group interventions in these cities. It is worth noting that these two cities are connected by the regional rural road financed by the IDB and linking Ayoun Latrous (Mauritania) and Nioro (Mali). Mauritania can also play a major role in providing expertise in bilingual education to benefit Mali and Senegal, under the cross-border initiative, as well as to other IDB member countries in West Africa under reverse linkage (see below). 3.6 Suggestions and Recommendations for the Government 85. In order to successfully implement the activities under this pillar, it is critical that the government of Mauritania should carry out the following policy actions: • Update the rural development strategy. • Design, adopt and start implementing a capacity building strategy for the rural MCPS for Mauritania, 2011-2015
Page 2: MCPS for Mauritania, 2011-2015 ISLA
Page 6 and 7: CURRENCY US$1 = 283.500 UM Euro 1 =
Page 8: Country Department (Coordinator) AC
Page 12 and 13: As part of its new Vision, the IDB
Page 14 and 15: I. INTRODUCTION 1. As part of its n
Page 16 and 17: construction) accounted for 48% of
Page 18 and 19: Reduce child mortality TABLE 1: Mil
Page 20 and 21: the vulnerability created by the de
Page 22 and 23: gold, copper, oil and deep-sea fish
Page 24 and 25: Box 1: Lessons Learnt from the Impl
Page 26 and 27: TABLE 7: High Growth Scenario 2010
Page 28 and 29: 3. Other Donors Involvement in Maur
Page 30 and 31: • The current rate of progress of
Page 32 and 33: strategy giving priority to strengt
Page 36 and 37: Figure 13: Survey of Constraints Fa
Page 38 and 39: (e) the conservation of the environ
Page 40 and 41: 3. The flexibility to finance other
Page 42 and 43: Human Development (Primary Healthca
Page 44 and 45: ANNEXES MCPS for Mauritania, 2011-2
Page 46 and 47: MAURITANIA AT A GLANCE Selected Mac
Page 48 and 49: PILLAR 2 -- RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND F
Page 50 and 51: PILLAR 2 -- RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND F
Page 52 and 53: PILLAR 3 -- ENHANCING AND DIVERSIFY
Page 54 and 55: Cross-cutting Theme: CAPACITY BUILD
Page 56 and 57: Cross-cutting Theme: CAPACITY BUILD

Mauritania - Islamic Development Bank

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