Madar (Nouakchott) - Mauritania's Ministry of Digital Transformation and Administrative Modernisation on Thursday, 12 November 2026, launched in Nouakchott the national e-commerce strategy for 2026-2030, which aims to develop digital trade and make it a driver of economic growth and investment, according to the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI).
The ministry's secretary general said implementation will be backed by a digital monitoring platform developed by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) together with the ministry, providing a unified database to track measures and reforms and assess their progress.
He described digital transformation as "a strategic necessity" for modernising the national economy, stressing the need to develop digital infrastructure and build trust in electronic transactions.
The secretary general of the Ministry of Trade said the strategy rests on four main pillars and five strategic objectives: strengthening the institutional framework and governance, trust and security in electronic transactions, digitising trade procedures, business competitiveness and wider digital inclusion.
He said e-commerce offers opportunities to expand markets, ease trade and cut costs, while supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and opening new economic opportunities to young people and women, adding that success will require joint efforts by government and the private sector.
Speaking by video link, Ángel González Sanz, acting director of UNCTAD's Division on Technology and Logistics, said the strategy was the outcome of a consultative process launched in 2023, including an assessment of Mauritania's e-commerce readiness supported by Germany's GIZ, and pointed to the opportunities of cross-border e-commerce under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Mauritania called e-commerce "an important lever" for economic diversification and job creation, while GIZ's country director said the strategy was the result of three years of participatory work based on an in-depth diagnosis and consultations with public and private actors, the agency said.
