Mohammed Al Muna (Dubai)
Through its presence at Expo 2020 Dubai, Mauritania knows the world for itself, its rich material and human resources, attractive environmental diversity, its historical monuments, modern achievements and future aspirations, and the opportunities it has for investment, development and exchange in the fields of trade, energy, tourism and infrastructure.
The Mauritanian pavilion in the “mobility” area defines its message through three main headings: Visit Mauritania, Invest in Mauritania, Made in Mauritania. It also displays contents that reflect the natural environment of Mauritania, its culture, history and human diversity, including samples of traditional handicrafts, and pictures and models that refer to the natural environment and the traditional lifestyle during different eras.
At the main entrance to the pavilion, the visitor finds himself in front of the two erect camels of a size comparable to the real size of the one-humped Mauritanian Arab camel. Camels have remained an integral part of Mauritanian human life, and have formed the centerpiece of the economy and lifestyle of the nomadic community in what was formerly known as “Bilad Chinguetti” and currently as Mauritania, that is, when most Mauritanians were Bedouins who used to produce with their livestock pasture and water habitats in countries where the desert constitutes the largest part. of its area. Camels were also an important axis in their literature and educational system, as describing the camel was an indispensable part of the Mauritanian poem’s structure with its various purposes, similar to their pre-Islamic ancestors in the Arabian Peninsula. Camels were also a means of transportation and a source of livelihood for the students and teachers of the private university educational system known as “Al-Madhara”
big transformations
However, since the country gained independence and the establishment of the “Islamic Republic of Mauritania” in 1960, it has witnessed major transformations in its life that did not leave the camel’s centrality in the economy, lifestyle, production and movement, and the forbidden no longer completely dominates the educational and cultural system.
By entering the pavilion, the visitor is exposed to examples of handicrafts and handicrafts that reflect the genius of Mauritanian craftsmen and how the Mauritanian society responded to its needs by relying on the materials and elements provided by its environment, such as leather, wood, animal hair, palm fronds, tree bark and ground grass…and all of that. In order to secure his residence, his home furnishings, his cooking utensils, his food storage containers, his travel van…etc.
Introductory stickers
The Mauritanian environment is shown in the Mauritanian pavilion through posters defining the country’s states according to the administrative division in force since the establishment of the first Mauritanian national government at the end of the fifties (the decree of December 23, 1959, which divided the country into 11 departments, and the changes that occurred thereafter). The desert climate remains dominant in most regions of the country, as they are all located north of the equator, while the Tropic of Cancer passes through it. Therefore, the rains decrease and the temperature increases as we head north, and the weather increases as we move away from the Atlantic coast towards the interior east, as the coastal region is characterized, where The political capitals (Nouakchott) and the economic (Nouadhibou) are located with their pleasant air most days of the year, thanks to the influences of the Canaria current coming from the Atlantic Ocean, which the country overlooks with a beach of 754 km in length, and where the Mauritanian territorial waters contain one of the largest fisheries in Africa, This gives the fishing sector its importance in the structure of the country’s GDP.
As for the plateau areas in the center and north, they are an extension of the Great African Plateau (“African Shield”), and they contain the most important Mauritanian mining wealth of iron, copper, gold and others, that is, mineral wealth that has always remained the backbone of the modern economy emerging in the country, especially after the expansion In the extraction of gold since the beginning of the third millennium.
palm oases
Along the eastern edge of the plateau chain extends the vast plains that make up the southeastern regions of the country, where the vast livestock wealth that supplies the local market with milk and meat, and achieves a surplus for export, is concentrated. As for palm oases, they flourish in the center and the north, especially in the Adrar region (a Berber word meaning mountain), which is famous for its palms and the quality of its dates since ancient times. While the river forms the natural border of Mauritania with its southern neighbor Senegal, and floods the fertile plains of the southwest, where rice, vegetables and millet are grown with large crops. And near this region are also located most of the oil and natural gas fields discovered during the past years, where preparations are being made to enter the stage of extraction and production in cooperation between the two countries, which will bring very positive results for the benefit of the Mauritanian economy during the next few years.
the future
The organizers of the Mauritania pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai promise a prosperous economic future awaiting it on the foreseeable horizon, especially when the extraction and export of natural gas begins, as it will attract more foreign investments, creating a new economic dynamism that contributes to increasing job opportunities and reaching the goals of the plans developmental.
Mauritania has been working for years to develop its road infrastructure, increase its production of electric power, and expand water networks within cities and rural areas, in addition to trying to improve its position within the regional trade network, especially for the countries of the Sahel-Saharan belt, some of which lack sea ports to the outside world. While Mauritania enjoys an important sea view and two ports that enhance its regional advantage in the field of competition for transit trade.
chances
The pavilion attempts to introduce investors, companies and owners of private capital to the opportunities and privileges offered by Mauritania’s geography, regional location, natural environment, mining, marine, agricultural and pastoral resources, which qualifies it to attract more investors, tourists, explorers and nature lovers.
Against this background, the director of the Mauritanian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Mr. Abdel Rahman Azizi, explains that the investment grounds in Mauritania are rich, fertile, and full of opportunities and factors of success in various fields, including raw materials, cheap labor and the consumer market (local and regional). In addition to the code of investment laws that encourage foreign capital and give it a lot of guarantees and incentives, which makes Mauritania an ideal destination for investors and owners of start-up companies, especially in the areas of services, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and tourism.
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