Mauritania

Overview

Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in north-west Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by Senegal to the south-west, by Mali to the east and south-east, by Algeria to the north-east, and by the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara on the north-west. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Economy

Mauritania's economy is dominated by natural resources and agriculture. Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania's extensive mineral resources include iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, and phosphate rock and exploration is on-going for uranium, crude oil, and natural gas. Extractive commodities make up 75% of Mauritania's total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, and fishing accounts for 20% of budget revenues, but over-exploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. Risks to Mauritania's economy include its recurring exposure to droughts, dependence on foreign aid and investment, and insecurity in neighbouring Mali, as well as significant shortages of infrastructure, institutional capacity, and human capital.

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9 Matters
Helping to clear the way for your listing on LSE's AIM

Advice on AIM listing and title issues - Mauritania

We advised an ASX-listed uranium exploration company on its AlM Listing as well as on certain title issues pertaining to the company's... More

Divesting assets properly in Mauritania

Divestment of assets - Mauritania

We advised an American multinational corporation, in connection with both the proposed divestment of its  business units and with the... More

Employee incentive scheme  advice major E&P company

Employee incentive scheme advice

We advised a leading independent oil exploration and production company in relation to the establishment of an employee incentive scheme... More

Facilitating international development.

Development programs in 7 African countries

We advised an international development company, which implements three to six-year international development programs funded by the United... More

Helping healthcare providers.

Distribution agreement termination – Mauritania

We advised a multinational healthcare company on the termination of its distribution agreements in... More

Developing international development organisations.

Doing business in Mauritania

We provided a memorandum setting out in greater detail information on doing business in Mauritania for a US private development company... More

AIM-listing advice for ASX-listing

AIM listing advice for ASX-listed uranium company - Mauritania

We advised an ASX-listed uranium exploration company on its AlM Listing. We acted as joint managing counsel and local counsel to the... More

Banking regulation across 5 jurisdictions

Banking regulation across 11 jurisdictions

We advised a leading international bank on regulatory aspects of retail banking across the Francophone region, including banking licences,... More

Our regional experience helped French-based multi-national

On the ground multi-jurisdictional due diligence

We advised a French-based multi-national on the African assets of its target company. We reviewed the documentation available in the Data... More