Cooperation with Japan

1- Marked by some specific assistance in mining and fisheries sectors at the end of the seventies ( export of Mauritanian iron ore to Japan  with  some Japanese loans to  the SNIM   <National Mining and Industrial Company>,  fisheries production  processing plant in Nouadhibou and some  fishing vessels with permit), the Mauritano- Japanese  cooperation  became more and more efficient  considering the important role of Japan in International stage as number one in term of  ODA  grant.

2- In Mauritania, this situation has led to financing several projects in different fields (hydraulic, health, education, fisheries, rural development and so on…).

3- On the other hand, our country has benefited  ,since 1981 , important  Japanese assistance as a non-project  grant aid  among  the 21 sub- saharian countries that have implemented  a structural adjustment program supported by  World Bank and International Monetary funds: debt alleviation measures, subsides for the improvement of agricultural production and  aid in foreign currency to buy cereals.

4- In 1988,1990,1992,1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001 Japan granted to our country seven (7) non-project aids estimated to 6,300, 000,000 yen  , most of it  was used to finance  the installation of equipments for the SNIM.

5- Japan accorded three loans to Mauritania used respectively: in 1989, for the support to SNIM activities (3,500,000,000 yen), in 1993, the Adjustment Program of the Public Sector(APPES) ( 4,663,000,000 yen) and  in 1995, the development program of the private sector ( 2, 821,000,000 yen).

6- Japan has, since 1989, decided nineteen (19) debt alleviations aids for Mauritania. These subsides have been totally left to SNIM, in order to acquire equipments for its financial restructure.
We remark that Japan has recently decided of the cancellation of our debt within the initiative of VIPC( Very Indebted Poor Countries).

7- The government of Japan grants annually two aids to our country since 1981. These aids are:

• Food aid (KRI) from 150,000,000 yen to 350,000,000 yen.
• Improvement of agricultural production (KRII) from 200,000,000 yen to 400,000,000 yen the latter helps the rural development department to acquire equipments and agricultural input (supplements).

8- Trainees from our country have profited several training sessions in Japan, these last couple of years, in different fields such as tropical medicine, naval construction and reparation, computing, mechanic auto and so on… Japanese technical assistance is a good preliminary for a more substantial financial cooperation thanks to the promotion by experts of the procedures and characteristics of the Japanese cooperation system.

Chart showing japanese assistance to IRM for the last 3 years
(¥thousand)