The Minister of Culture, Arts, and Relations with Parliament, and government spokesperson, Hassan Ould Amadou, stated that the developmental component for the city of Chinguetti has achieved most of its goals.
He made this statement during a special interview with Sahara 24 TV on Sunday night/Monday morning, explaining that the developmental component for Chinguetti, which had been allocated 4 billion Ouguiyas by the government, contributed to improving the living conditions of the residents.
The minister added that the remaining part of the component “requires a time frame, and the necessary resources have been allocated,” and he detailed the achievements made in the city through this initiative, stating that “various issues related to water and electricity have been solved,” which included “increasing the energy supply by up to 50% of what was previously available, and the old neighborhood in the northern part of the city has started to be connected to the electricity grid.” Additionally, “21 kilometers of water pipes have been laid, and artesian wells have been dug.”
The minister also mentioned the ongoing projects under the Atar-Chinguetti project, funded with 12 billion Ouguiyas, which includes “a road linking Atar and Chinguetti, a health center, two schools, and the Chinguetti Institute for Quranic Sciences,” noting that “the completion of these works is expected in a few months or a year.”
Regarding the city itself, the minister highlighted that “Chinguetti is benefiting for the first time from this developmental component, which is a government partnership involving the efforts of 19 ministerial sectors,” pointing out that the amount allocated to Chinguetti this year is higher than the amounts allocated in the previous three years, where funding ranged between 2.8 billion and 3.9 billion old Ouguiyas for each of the historical cities (Ouadane, Tichit, and Walata).
The minister also discussed the scientific component, stating that it has published 11 works focusing on various aspects of our heritage cities, authored and investigated by national and international scientific figures, and printed by the Ministry of Culture and Arts.
He emphasized the “qualitative presence” at the festival, noting that it was the first time that all international organizations concerned with promoting and preserving world, Islamic, and Arab heritage gathered in this location, represented by the Director-General of UNESCO, the Director-General of ISESCO, and the Director-General of ALECSO, as well as the Director-General of the Arab World Institute in Paris, in addition to 12 foreign researchers and specialists from French, Arab, and German universities with an interest in Mauritanian heritage.
