Mauritania"s Trade Landscape: 2025 Insights"

Mauritania is located in West Africa and is bordered by Algeria to the north, Mali to the east and southeast, Senegal to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital is Nouakchott. This country has a republican government and its political system includes the president and the parliament. Also, in 2017, changes were made to the Mauritanian constitution that led to changes in the system of government that transitioned from military rule to civilian rule. The unit of currency of Mauritania is Ogoia (MRU). The official language of Mauritania is Arabic and most of the people of this country speak Arabic. Also, French is used as the second and official language in this country. The majority of Mauritanian people follow Islam. 

Mauritania`s economy is mainly based on sectors such as mining, food processing, oil and gas related industries, agriculture and financial services. This country has rich mineral resources including iron, gold, copper and coal. The products that the merchants of this country import include food, electronic products, household appliances, sanitary and pharmaceutical products. Mauritania exports products such as gold, copper, iron, crude oil, agricultural products and food industries to other countries. Its biggest trading partners are mainly countries like China, Spain, Algeria and France. Due to the export of mineral and oil resources, the highest income of this country may be obtained from the sale of gold, oil and copper to other countries.

In recent years, Mauritania"s trade landscape has shown notable shifts, impacting its global trade standing. By 2023, Mauritania"s merchandise import value index dramatically dropped to 102. 0 from 132. 6 in 2022, contrasting with a global average of 101. 1. This decline indicates a slowing demand for imports, potentially due to domestic economic adjustments or changing trade policies. Interestingly, Mauritania’s import volume index was 109. 6 in 2023, slightly above the global average of 104.

5, suggesting that while the value of imports decreased, the volume maintained a relatively steady pace. This could reflect a decrease in prices or a shift towards less expensive imports. On the export side, Mauritania"s export value index decreased from 115. 6 in 2022 to 105. 7 in 2023, closely aligning with the global trend but slightly underperforming the global average of 102. 3. Despite this, the export volume index was more resilient, at 106. 8 compared to the global average of 108.

4, indicating that Mauritania has managed to maintain its export activities, possibly due to a competitive advantage in certain sectors. The country’s domestic sectors also provide a mixed picture. The agriculture sector, contributing significantly to GDP, could leverage Mauritania"s trade with Batı Asya to enhance exports, given the region"s demand for agricultural products. However, risks such as fluctuating commodity prices and regional trade barriers remain. Furthermore, Mauritania"s industrial sector, while crucial, requires modernization to compete effectively on a global scale. Entrepreneurs looking to engage with Mauritania should consider these dynamics carefully. Aritral. com, an AI-driven B2B platform, can facilitate this by offering services like Product Listing and Global Sales Assistance, providing Mauritanian businesspeople with enhanced market visibility and communication tools.

By creating a business profile on Aritral. com, investors and traders can effectively navigate these opportunities and challenges, gaining a foothold in the Mauritanian market and beyond.