Madar (Nouakchott) - Mauritania's Minister of Youth Empowerment, Employment, Sports and Civil Service, Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Louly, said on Monday, October 19, 2026, that the government had put in place a framework to license, monitor and follow up overseas recruitment offices, to ensure transparent hiring and protect the rights of Mauritanian workers.
Speaking at the opening of a regional forum on circular migration in Nouakchott, the minister said a technical mechanism had been set up to review accreditation requests from these offices and track their activities, according to local media.
Mauritania has begun turning this approach into practice, including a pilot project with Spain in agriculture, and is working on partnerships with other countries and employers, he said, adding that circular migration "if well organised" lets young people work, gain experience and invest their savings when they return.
The Spain scheme
The director general of the national employment agency, Abdel Vettah Abdel Vettah, said the circular migration scheme with Spain had given young Mauritanians regular and safe jobs "without any middleman". It stems from a memorandum of understanding signed under the supervision of President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during Sanchez's visit to Nouakchott in August 2024.
A Spanish partner tied the scheme's success to workers' satisfaction and their return home after the farming season, he said, and testimony from companies in Andalusia about the seriousness of young Mauritanians, followed by the participants' return, had built trust between both sides.
The project also aims to transfer skills back to Mauritania by documenting what participants learn and certifying it, he said, adding that returnees went back to their towns and villages with new skills after sending money home to their families during their work.
