Minister of State, Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, held talks on Monday in Algiers with Mauritanian Minister of Oil and Energy, Mohamed Ould Khaled. The Mauritanian minister is on a working visit to Algeria as part of a high-level ministerial delegation led by Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay, on the occasion of the 20th session of the Algerian-Mauritanian Joint Grand Commission. The meeting was attended by the Secretary of State to the Minister of Energy and Mines in charge of Mines, Karima Tafer, and the CEO of Sonatrach, Noureddine Daoudi, along with officials from both sides.
These talks fall within the framework of the renewed dynamics in cooperation relations between Algeria and Mauritania, reflecting the directives of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune aimed at consolidating African partnerships and strengthening South-South cooperation.
The discussions focused on ways to strengthen cooperation in the hydrocarbons sector, particularly by supporting exploration and production projects in Mauritania and expanding partnership areas across various stages of the value chain, from exploration to transport, processing, and marketing. In this context, the Minister of State reaffirmed Algeria’s readiness, through Sonatrach, to share its expertise and support the Mauritanian side through training programs and technical knowledge transfer to contribute to the development of the oil and gas industry in Mauritania.
Both parties also discussed ways to enhance the presence of Algerian companies active in the hydrocarbons sector within the Mauritanian market, especially in the marketing of petroleum products, to support the expansion of commercial cooperation horizons and strengthen the position of Algerian operators at the regional level.
The two sides also addressed prospects for expanding cooperation to include areas of mutual interest, particularly in the processing and development of resources, especially phosphates, and the development of the fertilizer industry to enhance the added value of natural resources in both countries.
In a related context, the importance of strengthening cooperation in training and capacity building was emphasized by leveraging the expertise of training institutes within the sector, led by the Algerian Petroleum Institute, to contribute to qualifying competencies and supporting the development of the oil and gas industry in Mauritania.
