weighted score 5.9 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Mauritania
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Mauritania-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
7
Hereditary slavery practices persist despite legal abolition (1981, criminalised 2007). Haratine communities disproportionately affected. US TIP Report Tier 2 Watch List.
Worker rights & FOA
6
Freedom of association limited in practice. Trade union activity constrained. Labour inspectorate under-resourced. Migrant workers in fishing sector face exploitation.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Limited independent audit infrastructure. Occupational health and safety enforcement weak outside the mining sector. International certification bodies have minimal presence.
Food & product safety
5
Fish exports to EU subject to EU health certification requirements. Fishery product safety standards improving under EU partnership but enforcement capacity varies.
Environmental & regulatory
5
IUU fishing risk in Mauritanian waters. EU Fisheries Partnership Agreement includes sustainability conditions. Limited EUDR exposure as commodity agriculture is minimal.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI 2025: 30/100. More stable than Sahel neighbours but institutional independence limited. Military background of political leadership. Extractive sector governance concerns.
Tariff & preferential access
3
LDC status provides Everything But Arms (EBA) access to EU market. Duty-free, quota-free access for most goods. EU Fisheries Partnership Agreement governs fishery access.
Non-tariff barriers
6
EU IUU Regulation applies to fishery imports. Sanitary and phytosanitary compliance for fish exports requires certification. Rules of origin documentation capacity limited.
Supply chain traceability
7
Iron ore supply chain relatively transparent (SNIM state monopoly). Fisheries traceability is weaker — artisanal fleet composition and landing data gaps. Multi-tier opacity in informal sectors.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour risk
- Mauritania abolished slavery in 1981 — the last country in the world to do so — and criminalised it in 2007. Despite legal abolition, hereditary slavery practices persist, particularly affecting Haratine communities. Anti-Slavery International and other NGOs document ongoing cases.
- Sectors at elevated risk
- Livestock herding, domestic work, agriculture, artisanal fishing. Hereditary servitude is concentrated in rural areas and pastoralist communities.
- ILO conventions
- Mauritania has ratified ILO C029 (Forced Labour) and C182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour). Enforcement remains weak. Anti-slavery courts established but conviction rates are low.
- ILAB status
- Mauritania is listed in the US Department of Labor findings for forced labour. The US TIP Report has placed Mauritania on Tier 2 Watch List.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- EU fisheries agreement
- The EU-Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement is one of the EU's most significant bilateral fisheries deals. EU vessels access Mauritanian waters for tuna, small pelagic, and demersal species. Compliance with IUU fishing regulations is a condition of the agreement.
- IUU fishing risk
- Mauritania's waters are among the world's richest fisheries. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a documented concern, particularly by foreign fleets. EU IUU Regulation applies to all fishery imports.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. Given documented hereditary slavery practices, Mauritanian supply chains may face heightened scrutiny under Article 5 investigations.
- Governance risk
- TI Corruption Perceptions Index 2025: 30/100. Mauritania is more stable than Sahel neighbours (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) but governance institutions remain weak.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Nouadhibou / Nouakchott → Atlantic coast → EU ports
- Key exports
- Iron ore (SNIM — Societe Nationale Industrielle et Miniere), fish & seafood, gold, copper. BP Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project — first LNG expected.
- Main EU destination ports
- Rotterdam, Las Palmas, Vigo, Antwerp
- Typical transit time
- 5-10 days to Southwest Europe, 8-14 days to Northwest Europe
- Infrastructure note
- Nouadhibou is the primary mineral export port with a dedicated iron ore railway. Road infrastructure is limited outside Nouakchott-Nouadhibou corridor. Port capacity constraints for non-mineral exports.