The African Development Bank (ADB) Group Board of Directors has approved a $17 million grant to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for the Project for Promotion of Gender-Sensitive Agricultural Value Chains and Women’s Entrepreneurship (PCVASGEF)
Funded under the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), this project aims to boost women’s income and support female entrepreneurship in Mauritania by increasing productivity and adding value to agricultural products. It is part of the Programme to Support Agricultural Transformation in Mauritania, which focuses on climate change adaptation and inclusion.
Malinne Blomberg, the Bank’s Country Manager for Mauritania, explained, “This project is an important lever for agricultural transformation in Mauritania. It will help to empower the country’s women by supporting their work in the vegetable production and packaging industry. It will create local market garden production centres and irrigation basins that operate throughout the year, preventing production disruptions at national level.”
The project includes the creation of 1,014 hectares of new market gardening plots managed by women, divided into 321 small modular plots, and 4,500 hectares of improved drainage basins. Additionally, 12 multi-purpose, internet-connected centres for female employment, two vegetable packaging and storage units, and six local vegetable markets will be established to enhance agricultural produce efficiency. The programme also aims to foster entrepreneurial culture among women through the creation of innovative start-ups, support for young entrepreneurs, and training. It includes capacity-building for actors in the market-gardening value chain, support for 205 women’s market-gardening cooperatives, and the establishment of 12 agricultural savings and loan associations.
The project will be implemented in 12 districts of the Brakna and Trarza regions, which are among the most vulnerable in Mauritania. It will directly benefit up to 22,200 households and indirectly impact nearly 90,000 people. The project aims to improve food security and household resilience, particularly for women and young people, through innovative irrigation systems, greater use of solar energy, agricultural transformation, market access, and value chain upgrades.
The Bank Group’s active portfolio in Mauritania now includes 20 operations with net financial commitments totaling $422 million.
