Madar (Nouakchott) - Vocational Training, Handicrafts and Trades Minister Ould Eyih and the director of the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education on Wednesday evening, November 11, 2026 signed a memorandum of understanding in Nouakchott aimed at developing the vocational training system, on the sidelines of the closing of a high-level meeting on a strategic partnership between the ministry and the centre, the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) reported.
The meeting opened on Tuesday in the presence of the economy and higher education ministers and the employers' union head, with the minister expressing hope it would produce an action plan and a memorandum of understanding.
In his closing address, Ould Eyih said cooperation with the centre, based on the "Arab model for technical and vocational education and training", would allow a comprehensive diagnosis of the system, an update of its national strategy and a realistic implementation plan setting priorities and delivery mechanisms. He stressed coordination between government sectors, the private sector and technical and financial partners.
The centre's director said progress in expanding and diversifying training, along with institutional and organisational reforms, laid the ground for a new phase that should focus on the quality of outcomes and their match with labour-market needs. He said he hoped the memorandum would launch structured institutional cooperation "moving from exchanging views to practical solutions".
The ceremony was attended by the ministry's secretary-general and Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Mauritania. On the same day, the minister received the centre's director to discuss cooperation mechanisms and the outlook for the partnership under the memorandum.
