Background
Mauritania is a vast, arid, lower-middle-income country whose economic growth is based on natural resources. Mauritania is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with five inhabitants per square kilometer. The rural population accounts for 41 percent of the total, 60 percent of whom depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods.
Compared to much of the Sahel, Mauritania suffers from lower poverty levels. However, the country’s human capital is not reflective of its level of economic growth, ranking 150 out of 159 on the Human Capital Index in 2020. In Mauritania, a child born today is projected to be only 38 percent as productive as she would have been with complete education and full health.
Mauritania is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Forecasts indicate a potential temperature rise of 2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius over the next fifty years. The country’s food and livestock production are strongly impacted by climatic fluctuations and experience severe volatility. As a result of this — and of persisting poverty and inequalities — large portions of the population are still experiencing food and nutrition insecurity, reaching very high levels during lean seasons.
The COVID-19 pandemic and inflationary pressures reversed years of poverty reduction in Mauritania, pushing an estimated 48,000 people into extreme poverty in 2020. The global inflation crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further worsened the food security situation in Mauritania, with an estimated 875,000 people experiencing extreme food insecurity during the 2022 lean season. In the same year, Mauritania also experienced one of its worst floods in the southern and central regions, affecting around 40,000 people. In 2023, inflation eased, due in part to lower food prices, however it is estimated that more than 360,00 people will be food insecure in the country during the 2024 lean season alone. Additionally, Mauritania is host to over 116,000 refugees.
SASPP-Supported Activities
In Mauritania, SASPP support to the government is anchored in the Social Safety Net System Project II (SSNSP). The Project seeks to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the nationwide adaptive safety net system and expand its coverage of poor and vulnerable households, including of refugee and host communities.
Updating and Expanding the Social Registry
With the support of the Project, the social registry is being updated and expanded throughout the entire territory of Mauritania and, as of November 2024, includes more than 305,000 of the poorest households — having surpassed its original objective of 200,000 households. A comprehensive update of the social registry is also underway to increase the accuracy and reliability of household information and is already complete in half of the country's Moughataas (departments). The Project is further supporting the development and piloting of a strategy for continuous updating of the social registry to make it more dynamic, enabling households in need to register or update their data at any time, including refugees.
Enhancing the socioeconomic inclusion of poor households
The national social transfer program, Tekavoul reaches more than 98,000 poor households with regular monetary transfers and accompanying measures. More than 54,000 of these households, including over 18,000 refugee or hosting households, are supported through the Project, and the rest through the government’s own financing. With support from the Project, Tekavoul is now expanding its coverage with the aim of supporting an additional 5,000 refugee households. Payments in Nouakchott began in the second quarter of 2024 and have so far involved 30,317 household. In addition, the Project will support economic inclusion measures — proven to have transformative effects on households’ livelihoods and wellbeing — for households exiting Tekavoul, to foster their investments in income-generating activities.
Strengthening the government-led shock response system for households vulnerable to climate shocks.
To date, the Project has reached 184,165 vulnerable households with shock-responsive social safety net transfers, far exceeding the initial aim of 24,000 households. In 2021, the Project supported the second national COVID-19 intervention by reaching 91,000 vulnerable households. In addition, Elmaouna significantly scaled up its intervention during the 2022 lean season reaching more than 71,000 food insecure households, of which over 51,000 through the SSNPS.
The Project also provides technical assistance to the government to prepare future lean season responses, particularly for the institutionalization of the Permanent Shock Response Framework (DCAN, by its French acronym), which positions the government to lead coordination and strategic planning of shock responses. The project further supports the positioning of the National Fund for the Response to the Food and Nutrition Crisis (FNRCAN, by its French acronym) to become the unique financing mechanism for food insecurity and nutritional crises.
Mauritania Social Safety Net System Project II
Project duration: FY20 - ongoing
Financing:
Initial financing of US$45 million from IDA (International Development Association) and US$7 million from the SASPP Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) in FY20, in addition to US$20 million of the government’s own financing.
Parallel co-financing by AFD, totaling €7.5 million
Additional financing of US$26 million from IDA and US$10 million from the SASPP MTDF in FY25.
Note: Prior to this engagement, the Social Safety Net System Project provided support, with financing of US$15 million from IDA and US$4 million from the SASPP MDTF (approved in FY15).
Last updated: February 5, 2025