Morocco is among the top African trading partners for Mauritania, accounting for 19% of its total trade with Africa, which, in turn, constitutes 10% of Mauritania’s overall global trade.
This information comes from recent data released by Mauritania’s National Agency for Statistics, Analysis and Demography and Economy, as part of its quarterly foreign trade report for Nouakchott for the first quarter of the current year.
The same source highlighted that Mauritania imported over 1.8 billion ouguiyas (Mauritania’s local currency) worth of goods from Morocco during the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, Mauritania’s exports to Morocco amounted to only 19 million ouguiyas, resulting in a trade deficit of over 1.7 billion ouguiyas for Nouakchott.
The said agency revealed that Mauritania’s trade with the other countries of the Greater Maghreb region accounted for 6% of its total trade with the world and 50% of its African trade during the first half of 2024.
However, it also noted that trade between Mauritania and the rest of the world declined by about 3.7% during this period, attributing this to a decrease in imports.
Within the Maghreb region, Mauritania is doing well trading with its neighbors in Algeria. In the first half of this year, it exported over 1.8 billion ouguiyas worth of goods to Algeria while importing 866 million ouguiyas worth of goods from its neighbor.
Mauritania’s overall African trade balance was also positive, with exports to African countries reaching 5.426 billion ouguiyas and imports from Africa amounting to 4.192 billion ouguiyas.
This resulted in a trade surplus of 1.234 billion ouguiyas for Mauritania with its African partners.
The data also revealed that Mauritania’s exports were mainly composed of iron ore (36.1%), gold (over 30%), and fish products (around 27%). Meanwhile, imports were primarily made up of foodstuffs (36%), followed by petroleum products and construction materials.
The National Agency emphasized that European countries remain Mauritania’s primary supplier, accounting for 44% of the country’s imports, equivalent to over 19 billion ouguiyas.
Asian countries, on the other hand, are Mauritania’s main customers, with exports to these countries reaching 36% of total exports, worth over 15 billion ouguiyas. Meanwhile, the African continent accounted for 10% of Mauritania’s imports and 13% of its exports.
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