The enabling environment for sustainable enterprises in Mauritania was assessed through a careful review of secondary data, combined with findings from a series of focus group discussions held with representatives of the private sector. The assessment produced a detailed identification of barriers that discourage investment, entrepreneurship, job creation and firm competitiveness.

The assessment was carried out in collaboration with the Union Nationale du Patronat de Mauritanie, as part of an ongoing ILO project to support members of G5 Sahel in integrating decent work in their priority investment programmes.

The study identified the eight key barriers to the development of enterprises in Mauritania: i) Limited application of business intelligence, ii) high enterprise taxation, iii) high level of imports in goods, iv) lack of business structure, v) large size of the informal sector, vi) high production and financing costs, vii) competition from new players and weakness of the national industry, viii) low levels of human capital. Thus, the main recommendations of the study focus on the following points:

• Strengthening the operational and legal security of business
• Promoting a sustainable national industry and its international expansion
• Developing high economic impact infrastructure