Mauritania's foreign minister, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, called on diplomatic and consular missions on Monday, October 12, to widen registration of citizens living abroad, skilled professionals and community associations on the ministry's digital platforms. The call comes ahead of a diaspora forum scheduled for October 29-31 in Nouakchott.
Speaking by video conference to heads of mission, Merzoug said the ministry intended to use the platforms progressively to provide services and issue consular documents. He asked missions to publicise the consular-services and diaspora-and-skills platforms and help citizens encountering technical difficulties, according to the Mauritanian News Agency.
The minister linked broader registration to building a national database to improve services and inform public policy for Mauritanians abroad. He also sought wider participation in the forum, including professionals, researchers, workers, students, women and young people, rather than limiting outreach to missions' usual contacts.
According to his presentation, preparatory consultations covered 23 countries on four continents. They addressed consular services, social and legal protection, education, investment, transport and remittances. A consultation day on June 30 brought the findings to the relevant institutions and other participants.
Merzoug recalled that the cabinet had approved a communication on organising the forum on September 16. Preparations now focus on participation and organisational issues. Digital service delivery was described as a gradual process, not as an announcement that all consular procedures had already moved online.