Cooperation strengthens between regions in Mauritania within the framework of CoM SSA

Local authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa are prioritising climate action and identifying potential sources of funding for their local climate and energy projects with the support of CoM SSA.

The first coordination meeting between the Dakhlet-Nouadhibou Region and the Nouakchott Region took place in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA), a European Union action, in Mauritania earlier this year. While the capital Region has been benefiting from extensive support over the past few years, the Nouadhibou Region recently joined the Covenant in August 2020.

With the support of the CoM SSA, Nouakchott has been able to develop a Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP), a baseline emissions inventory, a climate change risk and vulnerability assessment, an access to energy assessment, as well as other feasibility studies, and a pilot project in public lighting.

Caption: City of Nouakchott

The Nouakchott Region has become the first region in Mauritania to complete a SEACAP successfully. Through this process the regional teams that have followed all the activities have developed critical skills.

It is partly thanks to this increased experience that the President of the Nouadhibou Region made a point of meeting with the teams of the Nouakchott Region. The President wanted to gain a better understanding of the first steps to be taken within CoM SSA, particularly in relation to the implementation of the SEACAP, data collection, and related studies.

Through the CoM SSA network, its signatories share good practices, lessons learned, and challenges encountered.

As a result of this meeting, opportunities for future cooperation between the two regions were identified. Teams in the Nouakchott Region will conduct a series of advocacy workshops to raise awareness of Nouadhibou elected officials and other public employees on the themes of the Covenant.  In addition, trainings and other relevant activities will be carried out in Nouakchott to the employees of the Nouadhibou Region.

Beach in Nouadhibou

In this way, the regional competences provided for in the national decentralisation strategy will be strengthened through cooperation between entities. This could enable future activities to be developed jointly by taking advantage of shared synergies.

These actions will be benefited from the technical support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation & Development (AECID), the CoM SSA partner in Mauritania.

As a result of this meeting, opportunities for future cooperation between the two regions were identified. Teams in the Nouakchott Region will conduct a series of advocacy workshops to raise awareness of Nouadhibou elected officials and other public employees on the themes of the Covenant.  In addition, trainings and other relevant activities will be carried out in Nouakchott to the employees of the Nouadhibou Region.

In this way, the regional competences provided for in the national decentralisation strategy will be strengthened through cooperation between entities. This could enable future activities to be developed jointly by taking advantage of shared synergies.

These actions will be benefited from the technical support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation & Development (AECID), the CoM SSA partner in Mauritania.