Nouakchott, 4 July 2025 (ECA) - The ECA Office for North Africa is holding on 8-11 July 2025 in Nouakchott (Mauritania) a capacity building workshop for the benefit of Mauritanian youth and women-led SMEs, under the theme: “Capacity building for youth, women led SMEs within the framework of the AfCFTA."
ECA will be holding the meeting in partnership with the division of planning of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Employment, Sports and Civic Service, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the "Vadaat el aamal" program, a support and specialized services platform dedicated to innovative project holders under the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.
SMEs are key pillars of the Mauritanian economy where they account for about 80 percent of the national economic fabric, contribute 30 percent of GDP and 45.8 percent of jobs. Despite being a significant share of the national population, few women and youths are currently leading SMEs in Mauritania, said Adam Elhiraika, Director of the ECA Office for North Africa.
The 8-11 July workshop is a continuation of two online trainings, held on 26 June and 3 July. It also part of a series of workshops scheduled for the benefit of Mauritanian, Libyan and Tunisian entrepreneurs between June and September 2025.
The four-day workshop will enable participants to study topics such as accessing African markets and identifying target markets; the AfCFTA and opportunities it can provide Mauritanian businesses with; designing export strategies; accessing finance; financial and export risk management; and how to use digital technology to increase exports. Participants will also become familiar with concepts such as the circular economy and climate risk management, and will learn about existing opportunities to benefit from sustainable and green economy grants and loans.
This initiative is a continuation of the capacity-building workshops held for the benefit of women business leaders in Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco since 2023, which have trained some 400 women business leaders. It also aims to contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).
EVENT: Capacity building for youth, women led SMEs within the framework of the AfCFTA: Exports, digitalization, financing and sustainability
DATE: From 8 to 11 July 2025, starting at 9 am
LOCATION: Hôtel Imane, Nouakchott, Mauritania
Note to editors: Journalists wishing to take part in this meeting are kindly invited to send an email to filali-ansary@un.org or a WhatsApp message to 00212 673 734 462.
Media queries
Houda Filali-Ansary - Communications Officer
ECA Office for North Africa
E-mail: filali-ansary@un.org
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
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Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
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