Mauritania-WB: nearly $5 million earmarked to preserve the environment

The Mauritanian government received nearly $5 million from the World Bank to back up its environmental protection and ecosystem preservation policy.

The donation worth $4.8 million was given by the World Bank’s world Funds for environmental protection.

The donation related agreement was signed last week in Nouakchott by the World Bank permanent resident in Mauritania Gaston Sorgho and Mauritanian Minister of Economic Affairs and Development Sid’Ahmed Ould Raiss.

The grant will fund environmental protection projects in some parts of the country, including reforestation of gum Arabic trees, capacity building of producers and endorsement of improved seeds production as well as storing capacities.

The projects fall in the framework of the Sahel and West Africa green belt project.

According to Gaston Sorgho, the agreement seeks to achieve two major objectives namely the fight against negative effects of desertification and soil degradation on the one hand and support to communities to adapt to climate change and restoration of gum Arabic ecosystem on the other hand.