The Council of Ministers met on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Republic.
During the meeting, the Council examined and approved the following draft texts:
- A draft law authorizing the ratification by the Islamic Republic of Mauritania of the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, adopted on September 7, 2022.
The adoption of this convention provides legal protection for purchasers of ships sold through judicial proceedings, while safeguarding the interests of shipowners and creditors. The convention establishes additional rules defining the procedures required for judicial sales to produce international legal effects.
- A draft law authorizing the ratification by the Islamic Republic of Mauritania of the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, adopted on May 18, 2007.
The Nairobi Convention was adopted with the aim of extending states’ right of intervention to cover the entire Exclusive Economic Zone and ensuring the recovery of costs incurred in removing shipwrecks. It constitutes an international legal instrument applicable to ships of all types, with the exception of warships, state-owned ships used for non-commercial purposes, and floating platforms engaged in the exploration, exploitation, or production of seabed mineral resources.
Accession to this convention will enable Mauritania to better protect its maritime domain, effectively address risks associated with sunken vessels, and legally secure reimbursement of expenses related to wreck removal.
- A draft decree establishing, organizing, and regulating the operation of a public administrative institution known as the National Agency for the Promotion of Traditional Crafts.
This draft decree aims to establish an agency responsible for the practical implementation of national policy in the field of traditional crafts and to define its organizational and institutional framework. It also sets out the procedures for dissolving the National Program for the Promotion of Traditional Crafts, with the agency assuming all its rights and obligations. All movable and immovable assets of the program will be transferred to the agency, and the decree further defines the management and operation of the Traditional Crafts Support Fund as an integral part of the agency.
- A draft decree appointing the President and members of the Board of Directors of the Mauritanian Diplomatic Academy.
- A draft decree establishing an industrial zone in Trarza Region, Ouad Naga Department, El Arriya Municipality.
This draft decree provides for the creation of a modern, well-planned, and fully equipped industrial zone covering an area of 800 hectares, located at kilometer 22 south of Nouakchott, an area that hosts a significant share of national economic activity. This initiative is implemented in accordance with Law No. 2025-034 regulating industrial activity.
The industrial zone is expected to provide an appropriate environment for the establishment of modern and competitive industrial activities, encourage local processing of national raw materials, create sustainable employment opportunities for youth and women, enhance value-added exports, reduce imports of processed goods, and improve the business climate through better organization of the industrial sector.
