In 2023,Mauritania had a population of 4 862 989 inhabitants,¹ with a density of 4 inhabitants per km2,² making it one of the least densely populated countries in Africa. Despite its proximity to the epicentres of Sahelian conflicts, Mauritania has become one of the safest countries in the Sahel,³ hosting a large number of refugees. In 2023,Mauritania’s human development index ranked it 164th out of 193 economies and territories in terms of human development.⁴

Mauritania’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2023 amounted to UM85 081 (US$2 149), driven by GDP growth of 3.4% per year, down 3 points compared to 2022.⁵ This is due to slowing global growth, geopolitical tensions, and declining domestic agricultural and industrial production. The country’s economy is relatively undiversified and highly dependent on the primary sector, services, extraction of mineral raw materials as well as oil production for export and domestic consumption. In 2023, foreign direct investment (FDI),mainly absorbed by oil and gas, fell sharply to 7.3% of GDP.⁶

Lower food prices, combined with tighter monetary policy, have led to a halving of annual headline inflation from 9.5% in 2022 to 5% in 2023.⁷ Despite this decrease, poverty persists in Mauritania. In 2023, 21.9% of Mauritanians were still living on less than UM140.8 (US$3.65) per day.⁸ Although Mauritania’s Gini Index is one of the lowest in Africa (0.326 in 2022),⁹ the country has a high gender inequality index (0.89), indicating a large disparity in well-being, income, and access to opportunities between women and men.¹⁰ In 2023,more than half of Mauritanians (58%) lived in urban areas, straining existing services and available resources.¹¹ Poverty is more pronounced in urban areas than in rural areas. Households have very low incomes and lack housing options. With 79.9% of its urban population living in informal settlements,¹² Mauritania was one of the eight African countries with the highest share of the urban population living in slums in 2018.¹³ This population is the most exposed and vulnerable to climatic hazards, such as the heavy floods that occurred in September 2022.

In his first term, President El Ghazouani set up a vast social programme to meet the urgent needs of the poorest, including the ongoing construction of 10 000 social housing units and a project called “New Life.” The project aims to reach more than 2 000 families by installing urban facilities, schools and roads in a new city. His re-election in July 2024 is a good stimulus in the implementation of ambitious social housing construction programmes. With strong political action, social housing policy should have better prospects in terms of expected production objectives.

In Mauritania, access to housing finance is a real obstacle to the government’s efforts to implement the social housing policy. One of the constraints encountered during the sale of the first housing units under the Taazour programmes is the inaccessibility of the products in relation to the income of the targeted households. There is not yet an appropriate functional financial product to support social housing policy.¹⁴ The lack of a system of guarantees of access to housing is a real obstacle for low income households, especially rural populations, women and young people. However, in order to finance social and affordable housing and provide a guarantee to the real estate developer, a Housing Financing Fund (FFA) was set up at the end of 2023.¹⁵

In the Sahel region, Mauritania is among the two countries with the lowest rates of financial inclusion. Only 23% of its population had a bank account in 2022, while the average in sub-Saharan Africa was 55% in 2021. In 2022, this rate was 32% for men compared to 16% for women.¹⁶ Socio-cultural constraints prevent women from accessing formal financial services, which blocks their access to income-generating opportunities but also their access to financial services and financial education. Banks are not very sensitive to the specific financial needs of women and do not systematically collect gender-disaggregated data.^{17, 18} Barriers such as low incomes and distance from financial institutions hinder financial inclusion.¹⁹ Adopted in 2023, the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (SNIF) specifically targets the unbanked and vulnerable populations, such as women, youth and microenterprises.²⁰

The network of banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) is highly concentrated in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, where 78% of ATMs, 2/3 of bank branches and 55% of MFI branches are located.²¹ An instruction from the Central Bank of Mauritania (BCM), which regulates credit to individuals,stipulates that the duration of a real estate loan cannot exceed 15 years.²² In addition, the value of monthly payments cannot exceed one third of the customer’s regular stable income. Banks that respect Islamic finance do not charge interest on their credit.

In 2022, the microfinance sector had 32 active Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and three networks, namely: the Savings and Credit Unions (PROCAPEC/CAPEC), the Savings and Credit Caisse DJIKE-Mutuelle (CECD-M) and the National Union of Mutual Investment Societies of Credit Oasien (UNMICO). MFIs have a net credit outstanding of UM682.2 million (US$17.2 million), representing about 1% of total banking system credit. Microfinance loans increased by 23.3% compared to 2021.²³

The Credit Information Bureau (BIC), created by the Central Bank of Mauritania in 2019, centralises borrowers’ credit and payment histories as well as a rating system. This tool improves the transparency of information, reduces credit risk for banks and thus promotes access to credit.²⁴

Housing is a very sensitive issue in Mauritania, with the deficit estimated in 2018 at 50 000 housing units across the country.²⁵ This deficit continues to grow through the sustained pace of urbanisation and population growth. This urban growth is more pronounced in urban centres such as Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and Zouerate, increasing the pressure on available infrastructure and services. In Mauritania’s economy, informal jobs dominate, accounting for 91.1% of the positions held by workers in the non-agricultural private sector.²⁶ The unemployment rate has increased in recent years and is estimated at 12.2%.²⁷

In Nouakchott, 48.8% of households own their home with a title deed, compared to 36.3% of renters.²⁸ At the national level, 46.2% of households own their dwellings without title or deed of ownership and 29.1% own their homes with title.²⁹ An analysis of the socio-cultural dimension of housing shows the importance given to home ownership. The Mauritanian authorities are promoting programmes aimed at providing access to property and/or other affordable housing for the poorest households.

In 2019, 28.2% of the population lived below the poverty line, estimated at UM19 100 (US$482) per year.³⁰ With 41.2% of precarious households living in rural areas, poverty remains a problem that affects rural areas more.³¹ In addition, the prevalence of poverty is lower in female-headed households: 31.2% of individuals living in male-headed households are poor, compared with 21.7% in female-headed households.³²

Spending on housing is the second largest item of expenditure for Mauritanian households (18.8% in 2019), behind food. Urban households spend up to one fifth (20.4%) of their financial resources on housing. The analysis, by poverty status, shows that housing expenditure accounts for a relatively high share for poor households: this rate is 17.2% for poor households compared to 19.1% for nonpoor households.³³ Compared to the average net salary of UM6 000 (US$151), the rental price in urban areas remains out of reach. ³⁴ In the residential area of Tevragh-Zeina, renting a very high-end apartment with three bedrooms and a living room costs around UM70 000 (US$1 768) per month.³⁵ Elsewhere, the monthly rent for an 85 m2 apartment can reach UM20 632 (US$521). ³⁶ It is difficult, however, to provide information on average rental or residential land prices in Nouakchott, since market prices are not regulated by the government.³⁷

Faced with the extent of poverty and vulnerability, the issue of housing accessibility is an existing problem in Mauritania. Households have low incomes and do not have many options for finding housing. The considerable lack of production, partly caused by a lack of financing (difficult access to credit for low income households) and sufficiently precise operational guidelines, as well as the cost of land, limits access to housing for the most disadvantaged social strata

The Mauritanian urban landscape is characterised by formal or regular housing and informal or irregular housing. The first is a medium-density and relatively evolving habitat and the second, better known as “Kebbés”, reflects areas of informal housing or former informal housing, which are the areas produced by the urban expansion of Nouakchott and peri-urbanisation. Nouakchott also has areas of so-called evolutionary settlement, known as the “Gastra”.

The standard plot sizes for scalable housing in urban centres and fringes are 150m2 for the smallest plots and 300m2 for the largest. However, the regulated minimum plot size in an urban area is 120m2.³⁸ The construction cost on these units amounts to UM144 000 (US$4 159),slightly less than the Gross National Income per capita (GNI) of UM219 018 (US$3 637) in 2022.³⁹ The urban stock in Mauritania includes housing built mostly for self-promotion. This mode of production is carried out by households with low and/or irregular incomes and is characterised by a low quality of construction. This strong prevalence of spontaneous housing and poorly built housing in cities reflects the inadequacy of public action in the sector.

Also, until 2022, to obtain a building permit, you had to start 14 procedures and wait 104 days to obtain your building permit in Mauritania.⁴⁰ The cost of the procedure is relatively low. However, the ratification in July 2023 of the project for a digital platform for a single window and approval of construction permits is expected to simplify and reduce costs.⁴¹ However, this platform is not always accessible to the general public.⁴²

Housing policy in Mauritania is based on the National Land Development Company for Housing Development and Real Estate Management (ISKAN), created in 2010 as a successor to the Société de Construction et de Gestion Immobilière (SOCOGIM) and the National Agency for Land Development (ANAT).⁴³ It has made it possible to build 5 500 housing units, including 2 100 social housing units for low income households, in several cities.⁴⁴ However, ISKAN faces a lack of funding and increased competition from new structures such as the General Delegation for National Solidarity (Taazour), which is in charge of a presidential programme aimed at building 10 000 housing units for low and middle income groups.

In Mauritania, local building materials include cement, plaster, gypsum, marble, iron, paint and tiles, as well as slab bricks. Five cement plants, including Ciment de Mauritanie and MAFCI, dominate the market, producing mainly cement. However, its high cost is due to the import of clinker and tax constraints.⁴⁵ Imported materials, such as sanitary equipment and tiles, also increase construction costs. The workforce, previously mostly foreign, is increasingly local thanks to a vocational training centre in Nouakchott.⁴⁶

Among the major challenges is the improvement of housing conditions and access to basic services at home. In 2019, 39.4% of households had access to running water in their homes.⁴⁷ In urban areas, taps in the home (65.2%) and carts with small cisterns (20%) are the main sources of water for more than 85% of households.⁴⁸ At the national level, electricity is the main mode of lighting, used by 74.4% of households. Almost two-thirds (63.1%) of households have improved toilets.⁴⁹

The Government’s efforts in the area of housing, combined with the strong presence of private developers on the outskirts of Nouakchott, maintain and consolidate a high profitability of the real estate market.⁵⁰ This is reflected in the activity of the construction sector, which recorded a 20.1% increase in GDP in 2022 to reach UM16.8 billion (US$424.4 million), or 4.2% of overall nominal GDP.⁵¹ It has been the most lucrative sector in the country for a few decades. In addition, there are the many reforms in the sector but also and above all the establishment of large foreign real estate groups such as Addoha, Qatari Diar and Mixta.

Local real estate agencies are more inclined to offer high-end apartments and housing in city centers and residential areas. On the other hand, households that cannot afford the prices of official real estate agencies, resort to the informal market, where the risks associated with buying or renting are higher. Many “brokers” offer their services to advertise or find houses (apartments for rent or for sale).⁵²

The country’s two largest cities, Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, have the highest share of the annual household budget devoted to housing, at 23.2% and 22.4% respectively.⁵³ Indeed, in 2022, the average monthly rent for a 3-room apartment in downtown Nouakchott was UM24 403 (US$616), ⁵⁴ compared to UM10 000 (US$252) for a 45m2 studio, outside the city center.⁵⁵

National legislation and Islamic jurisprudence do not impede women’s access to land. However, women hold only 8% of registered property titles, mainly in cities where customary practices are less influential, because inheritance rules favour men.⁵⁶ However, important achievements have recently been made, including the establishment of the National Observatory for the Rights of Women and Girls, an advisory body to the public authorities responsible for monitoring gaps and imbalances in women’s rights.

Mauritania’s land administration system suffers from complex land registration formalities, a lack of financial capacity and resources, and a dispersion of registries and responsibilities among different institutions. This land insecurity affects the level of quality of housing, access to housing finance and land market activity. In addition, there is an annual tax on constructed buildings and a residential tax, but there is no property tax and the official system of land price registration has not been applied. The registration fee for property registration is set at 2% of the value of the transaction.⁵⁷ This percentage can be revised downwards or change depending on the existence or absence of a title deed to the property.

The Mauritanian government’s significant involvement in the production of affordable housing for precarious households is more evident in the establishment of a legislative and institutional framework conducive to housing, construction and development. In 2023, the completion and adoption of an important legal text was accomplished. Regarding urban planning, the actions targeted the updating of the laws governing real estate development, the improvement of urban management and regulation through the creation and implementation of various city and locality subdivision plans.

Among the most important standards is: Law No. 2024-003 of 17 January 2024 on urban planning and construction, which governs and organises the field of construction in order to improve the general environment of the building and at the same time guarantee a maximum threshold of quality and safety for the works (art. 1); Law No. 2023-017 of 23 February 2023 on real estate development; Decree No. 2023-119 setting out the mission and composition of the Technical Commission in charge of Real Estate Development; the ongoing development of a National Housing Strategy; the implementation of the Master Plan for Development and Urban Planning (SDAU) of Nouakchott by 2040, (the simplified SDAU of Kiffa, and that of Rosso are in progress); Order No. 0723 of 20 July 2023 defining the constituent elements of the real estate developer’s approval file; and finally Decree No. 2023-119 setting out the mission and composition of the Technical Commission in charge of Real Estate Development.

Despite the existence of new rules on urban planning and construction, there are no specific guidelines regarding green building. Mauritania is increasingly adopting local building materials, as part of the promotion of eco-construction. The construction of 50 housing units by the Mauritanian state using local materials in the city of Sélibaby illustrates this new attention.⁵⁸ This is how the work of Mauritanian companies such as HABIDEM was recognised and awarded First Prize Innovative Med Africa 2023.⁵⁹ The implementation of an eco-construction charter as part of the study of the construction diagnosis in Mauritania, published in 2023, should make it possible to further anchor the use of local materials in the projects of local actors.

With its growing economy and stable political environment, Mauritania, especially Nouakchott, offers a wide range of real estate investment opportunities, from residential and commercial properties to land and investments in the hospitality sector. The current government’s major economic and social housing programmess are a great opportunity for investors, both beginners and seasoned investors.

Due to the city’s population growth and the arrival of businesses, there is a high demand for rental properties that, whether for residential or commercial use, can generate a consistent income.

In this enabling environment, there are opportunities in the field of green building. To this end, many initiatives are underway to make housing more accessible, with a focus on promoting local materials adapted to the local climate.⁶⁰ Habidem (Habitat Développement en Mauritanie), an ecological construction company that specialises in the development of local geo-sourced (clay) and bio-based (Typha) materials, is meeting with success on a national scale and in neighboring countries such as Senegal.

Mauritania is experiencing sustained economic growth thanks to gas exploitation and emerging private sector initiatives in the housing sector. In addition, the interventions of development banks such as ShafDB (Shelter Afrique) offer better opportunities for the development of housing finance.

In Mauritania, the National Agency for Statistics, Demographic and Economic Analysis (ANSADE) plays an important role in data collection and availability. Through surveys, censuses, studies and yearbooks, it provides a good overview of demographic and housing statistics. Officially launched in December 2023, the Fifth General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 5) is underway and will update all the data from the last census in 2013.

Access to and availability of data is a real problem in Mauritania and is a major obstacle to the government’s efforts to intervene with the poorest populations. The data collected by the services of the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Regional Planning are not very accessible to the public.

The Central Bank of Mauritania (BCM), through its annual report published in the 3rd quarter of each year, provides statistics on bank financing in general, and on microfinance. This document does not present data on housing finance. The Credit Information Bureaus (BICs), recently deployed in the country (in 2019), will have a significant impact in collecting credit information, processing and disseminating customers’ credit reports to lenders with a view to assisting them in making credit granting decisions.

The use of local building materials is becoming increasingly common in Mauritania. Especially in the context of eco-construction. Eco-construction companies such as HABIDEM seek to solve the social problem of the lack of adequate housing in Mauritania in a climate and environmentally friendly way while creating ecological jobs for young people in rural areas. They use only local materials such as clay, sand, straw, and stone.[1]

The city of Nouakchott is surrounded by dune strips with sparse vegetation. The region’s climate is arid and there are frequent strong sand winds from the north, threatening the infrastructure and many peripheral neighbourhoods with silting. In the absence of a restrictive land-use plans, urban expansion has taken place in areas at high risk of silting.5 In 1975, the Nouakchott Green Belt was created to protect the city from the encroaching sands. As the city grew beyond its boundaries, the Green Belt had to be extended in the 2000s.4 However, the fragile dune belt is gradually deteriorating. Large-scale extraction of sand to supply the town with building materials, as well as grazing and vehicle traffic, have led to the opening up of numerous breaches. In addition, the construction of a dyke at the Port de l’Amitié in 1985 blocked the sedimentary transit, thus causing a considerable retreat of the coastline towards the south and the disappearance of the dune cordon over some 10km.5

[1] World Bank (2019). Le potential de l’ecosysteme entrepreneurial Mauritanien. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/859521576662532421/pdf/The-Untapped-Potential-of-Mauritania-s-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem-Lessons-from-the-Entrepreneurs-Marathon.pdf (Accessed 23 July 2022). Pg. 20.

National Agency for Statistics, Demographic and Economic Analysis (ANSADE): https://ansade.mr/fr/
Mauritanian News Agency (AMI): https://ami.mr/fr/
Central Bank of Mauritania (BCM): https://www.bcm.mr/index.php
Essahraa Centre for Studies and Consultations: https://essahraa.net/fr/
General Delegation for National Solidarity and the Fight against Exclusion (Taazour): https://taazour.mr/fr/
Mauriweb: https://mauriweb.info/
Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Regional Planning: https://www.habitat.gov.mr/ar
Rapideinfo: https://rapideinfo.mr/
Social Register ofVulnerable Households: http://www.rs.gov.mr/
National Land Development, Housing Development and Property Management Company (ISKAN): http://iskan.gov.mr/
Voursa: https://www.voursa.com/

1. World Bank. (2024).World Development indicators.
2. World Bank. (2021). Population density (persons per square kilometre of land area) – Mauritania. Data.
3. Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. (2023). France diplomacy. Presentation of Mauritania. https://tinyurl.com/bdfpk7zm (Accessed 2 August 2023).
4. United Nations Development Programme (2024).The 2023/2024 Human Development Report. (Accessed 24 September 2024). Pg. 276.
5. See footnote 1.
6. World Bank. (2024). Report on the Economic Situation of Mauritania. Maximizing the return on human capital in Mauritania for increased wealth and shared prosperity. Pg. 17.
7. Ibid. Pg. 4.
8. Ibid. Pg. 6.
9. World Bank. (April 2023). Poverty and Equity Brief, Mauritania. Pg. 1.
10. UNDP. (2022). Human Development Report 2021/2022. Pg. 288.
11. See footnote 1.
12. African Development Bank. (2018). National climate change profile: Mauritania. Pg. 6.
13. Rust, K. (2022). Promoting affordable housing in African cities.African Development Bank. https://tinyurl.com/2nkzmpx7 (Accessed 2 August 2023). Pg. 9.
14. Online interview with Oumar WELE, founder and CEO of HABIDEM (Habitat Développement en Mauritanie), 20 July 2024.
15. Islamic Republic of Mauritania. (2023). Law No. 2023-017/ PR on real estate development. Pg. 5.
16. FinDev. (2023). Data platform. Financial inclusion in Mauritania. https://tinyurl.com/ycymb685 (Accessed 28 August 2024).
17. Islamic Republic of Mauritania (2023). National Financial Inclusion Strategy (SNIF). Pg. 84.
18. International Monetary Fund. (2023). IMF Data Access to macroeconomic and financial data – Mauritania, Islamic Rep. Of.
19. Zeidnae, S. M. (2020). Digital currency in Mauritania.Thesis, Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Pg. 33.
20. See footnote 17.
21. See footnote 17. Pg. 20.
22. Central Bank of Mauritania. (2014). Instruction No. 2 /GR/2014 Regulating credit to individuals. https://www.bcm.mr/IMG/pdf/instruction_002_gr_2014.pdf (Accessed 28 August 2024). Pg. 2.
23. Ibid. Pg. 65.
24. Central Bank of Mauritania. (2023).Annual Report 2022. https://www.bcm.mr/IMG/pdf/rapport_annuel_fr_vf22.pdf (Accessed 25 August 2023). Pg.64-65.
25. Bah, E., Faye, I., Geh, Z. (2018). Housing Market Dynamics in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-59792-2_1 (Accessed 3 August 2023). Pg. 6.
26. A Migration. (2022). Mauritania. Country Fact Sheet 2022.
    https://files.returningfromgermany.de/files/CFS_2022_Mauritania_FR.pdf (Accessed 12 September 2023). Pg. 2.
27. ANSADE. (2021). Permanent Survey on the Living Conditions of Households EPCV 2019-2020. https://ansade.mr/fr/synthese-des-resultats-epcv-2019-2/ (Accessed 6 August 2023). Pg. 8.
28. ANSADE. (2021). Household living conditions: Main social indicators EPCV 2019-2020. https://ansade.mr/fr/conditions-de-vie-des-menages-principaux-indicateurs-sociaux/ (Accessed 3 August 2023). Pg. 62.
29. Ibid. Pg. 61.
30. ANSADE. (2021).Trends in Income Poverty and Inequality in Mauritania, EPCV 2019-2020. https://ansade.mr/fr/tendances-de-la-pauvrete-monetaire-et-des-inegalites-en-mauritanie/ (Accessed 3 August 2023). Pg. 18.
31. Ibid. Pg. 7.
32. Ibid. Pg 24.
33. Ibid. Pg. 14.
34. See footnote 26. Pg. 3.
35. EXPAT-RIM. (2023). Real estate agency. https://www.expat-rim.com/ad/location-appartement-meuble-haut-degamme-2/ (Accessed 12 September 2023).
36. Ibid.
37. See footnote 26.
38. Interview with Abdallah FALL, site manager of the construction company FALL BTP, on 5 August 2023 in Nouakchott.
39. Ibid.
40. World Bank. (2020). Economy profile Mauritania. Doing Business 2020.
    https://archive.doingbusiness.org/fr/data/exploreeconomies/mauritania#DB_dwcp (Accessed 6 August 2023).
41. Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Regional Planning. (2023). Secretary-General launches workshop to approve unified window for building permits. https://www.habitat.gov.mr/ar/node/1726 (Accessed 6 August 2023).
42. Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Regional Planning (MHUAT). (2024). Diagnosis of the construction sector and priority action plan of the DPRC. Directorate of Planning and Regulation of Construction. (Accessed 24 September 2024). Pg. 33
43. Gagnol, L., Magrin, G., Guibert, R.C. (2019). “Chami, new city and city of gold. An unusual urban trajectory in Mauritania”. The Political Space. Pg. 7.
44. Africa info market. (2004). Construction material footnote. https://tinyurl.com/4vhyay7c (Accessed 6 August 2023). Pg. 20.
45. See footnote 41. Pg. 15,28.
46. See footnote 21. Pg. 17.
47. See footnote 27. Pg. 62.
48. Ibid. Pg. 63.
49. See footnote 28. Pg. 65-66.
50. Choplin,A. (2014). Nouakchott: erecting towers and eradicating slums, or how to bring the world’s peripheries into competition. In: Metropolises in debate: (de)construction of the competitive city. Nanterre: University Press. Pg. 260.
51. See footnote 23. Pg. 30.
52. See footnote 26. Pg. 3.
53. See footnote 30. Pg. 14.
54. NUMBEO. (2023). Real Estate Price Knowledge Platform. https://fr.numbeo.com/prix-de-l%27immobilier/pays/Mauritanie (Accessed 14 August 2023).
55. Expatistan. (2023). Property prices in Nouakchott.  https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/dakar/nouakchott? (Accessed 13 September 2023).
56. Land Portal Foundation. (2021). Data platform. https://landportal.org/book/narratives/2021/mauritania (Accessed 3 August 2023).
57. Baro, M., Diagana, I., Isselmou,A. B. (2014). Contribution to the improvement of land policy in Mauritania through the use of the Land Governance Analysis Framework (CAGF),World Bank.
58. Sahara Media. (2022). Sélibaby: completion of the construction of 50 housing units made with local materials. 12 March 2022.
59. Afrimag. (2023). Med’Innovant Africa dedicates two African startups: Habidem and Bioheat. 30 November 2023
60. See footnote 14.
61. Presidency of Mauritania. General Delegation “Taazour” for National Solidarity and the Fight against Exclusion. Notice of provisional contract award.
62. See footnote 14