UNCTAD eWeek high-level session on the launch of the eTrade Readiness Assessment of Mauritania

Your Excellency, Mr. Mohamed Abdallahi Ould LOULY, Minister of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Modernization of Administration of Mauritania,

Dear (Mr.) Hamza Ould Bakar, Head of Project of the GIZ,

Dear (Mr.) Masahiko Metoki, Director General of the Universal Postal Union,

Dear (Mr.) Mohamed Hmeimed, CEO of Next technology,

Dear eTrade for all partners,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the international launch of the eTrade Readiness Assessment of Mauritania. The assessment is a milestone in the country’s journey to use the power of the digital economy.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, online trade has witnessed unprecedented growth, with the number of online shoppers rising from an estimated 1.3 billion in 2017 to 2.3 billion in 2021. However, African and Least Developed Countries still lag significantly behind: While the proportion of people shopping online in LDCs and in Africa increased, it remained low in 2021, 5.8 per cent in LDCs, and 6.6 per cent in African countries.

To participate and benefit from the expansion of e-commerce, many countries have adopted national digital transformation policies, especially following the pandemic. This is also the case of the Government of Mauritania. It has adopted an ambitious Digital Transformation Agenda 2022-2025, focusing on building robust digital infrastructure and modernized administration, to provide a solid foundation for e-commerce and digital trade.

It is in this context that the Government has requested an eTrade Readiness Assessment. We have carried out the assessment in close collaboration with the Government of Mauritania, spearheaded by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Modernization of the Administration. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Honorable Minister Louly for placing their trust in UNCTAD's work on e-commerce and the digital economy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

An increasing number of countries view UNCTAD’s eTrade Readiness Assessments as a crucial step in their journey toward implementing eTrade-related reforms. Mauritania’s assessment marks the 36th conducted by UNCTAD since 2017.

For this assessment, UNCTAD benefited from collaborations and coordination with our valued partners from the inception to the completion of the report.

For example with the Universal Postal Union, which has been part of this assessment since the preparatory mission to Nouakchott last year.

UPU has then been working with the Mauritanian Post Corporation to strengthen their capacity for providing efficient parcels, logistics and postal financial services. UPU now supports the implementation of a national addressing system to enhance logistics and delivery services. 

Also colleagues from ITC contributed with their support to Mauritanian SMEs, and colleagues from UNCITRAL reviewed the e-transaction law of Mauritania.

It is precisely this collaborative approach that makes the eTrade for all initiative so valuable.

The eTrade Readiness Assessment of Mauritania highlights that there are opportunities by addressing the following challenges: Improve financial inclusion especially among women and youth; enhance the technological capabilities of SMEs; address the e-commerce skills mismatch; build a solid national addressing system; facilitate access to finance for e-commerce SMEs; and digitalize foreign trade procedures to facilitate cross-border e-commerce.

But the value of the assessment does not end with the launch. Rather, it is the starting point for reaping the benefits from e-commerce and digital trade.

I look forward to the implementation of the recommendations and the continued effective collaboration with partners, including the eTrade for all partners and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Mauritania.

I also want to recognize and express thanks for the generous support from our core donors, and in this case especially the financial and technical support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development which was provided through GIZ.

Thanks to the support from GIZ, UNCTAD is able to extend the collaboration with the Government of Mauritania and provide technical assistance for the development of a national e-commerce strategy.

Before closing, I like to also thank the permanent mission of Mauritania to the United Nations Office in Geneva and to the specialized agencies in Switzerland for the excellent collaboration.

We look forward to the continued collaboration!