The Challenge

Agricultural productivity in Mauritania, an arid, least developed country in northwest Africa, has improved significantly in recent years, with government initiatives and a shift towards modern techniques moving the sector away from purely subsistence farming. Agriculture contributes to approximately 20% of the country’s GDP, with around 33% of the workforce engaged in farming and related activities.

Mauritania imports around 60% of its foodstuff staples, including rice, vegetables, sugar, and cooking oil. Recent government efforts have increased export potential but complicated, paper-based phytosanitary procedures are creating delays and incurring high compliance costs, hampering competitiveness.

What We Are Doing

Building on our experience of implementing the IPPC ePhyto Solution in over 10 countries including Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria and Togo, the Alliance is working with Mauritania’s National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) – Direction Nationale de la Protection des Végétaux (DPV) to digitalise phytosanitary certification.

A phytosanitary certificate is a legal document issued by a country’s NPPO for exports of plants and plant-based goods certifying that they are free of specific pests and diseases. Traditionally, companies in Mauritania had to send these paper certificates with a shipment or courier them to coincide with the arrival of a consignment in a destination port.

The ePhyto Solution will replace these paper-based processes with seamless, low-cost electronic exchange. By installing a certification process known as the Generic National System (GeNS) – a standalone, web-based application – the project will also connect Mauritania to the IPPC’s central hub.

Project implementation is being led by Alliance implementing partner GIZ, through its bilateral programs REM – ProEmploi-DSP, co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union, and ProDigit financed by BMZ.

Based on the Alliance public-private partnership approach, the project involves the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade, agricultural producers and exporters of plants and plant products, freight forwarders and the Port of Nouakchott.

The countrywide rollout entailing IT development, testing and successful exchange also involves extensive training for users and change management to maximise sustainable transition.

Impacts

Introducing the IPPC ePhyto Solution will enable Mauritanian traders to transfer certificates quickly, accurately, and at low cost, reducing:

  • receipt times
  • logistical costs
  • costs associated with shipping certificates
  • food spoilage due to shorter transit time and an efficient certificate replacement procedure in case of error or other reasons for rejection
  • processing times at import and at the border of destination due to pre-arrival processing
  • potential fraud

Introducing GeNS will streamline and digitise the exchange of information between companies and DPV, for the import and export processes of plants and plant products. It will also allow DPV to exchange ePhytos via the IPPC hub, with their counterparts in other countries.

Ultimately, the ability to exchange ePhyto certificates will enhance agricultural competitiveness and the simpler certification process may also encourage resource-strapped micro, small and medium enterprises to become exporters.