In 1978, the Mauritania Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) expanded to 200 miles. Mauritania has 754 km of coastline with a continental platform extending over 34,000 km2.
The Mauritanian EEZ is deemed to be one of the richest in the world due to its large area of fisheries production owing to the astounding climatic and geomorphologic factors that provide very favorable conditions. Fishing is a major player in the Mauritanian economy. Its foreign currency contribution exceeds 50% of the overall export earnings.
Nouadhibou Free Zone Authority is well aware of the paramount importance of fishing and therefore engaged in the development of a comprehensive development strategy aiming to achieve one million ton of production by 2030. This vision should be accompanied by the realization of real estate products and infrastructure.
Thus port and storage facilities are planned in the short, medium and long term :
Step One : on the very short term, the port extension launched recently will allocate more straight docksides to fishing activity.
Step two : on the short-term (2018) in order to accommodate the growing demand on infrastructure, it is proposed to construct 250 meters of straight dockside to the north of the Independent Port of Nouadhibou (PAN). This operation is carried out instantaneously with the creation of an industrial area of ten hectares to the north PAN dedicated to sea products.
Step Three : the medium term, we plan to develop the waterfront between the industrial area and the non-industrial harbor to have a safe landing zone for fishery products. This project is provided on Japanese funding.
Step Four : (after the start of the deep-water port and the transfer of all commercial traffic to it) we intend to allocate the current extension south of (PAN) exclusively to fishing activities.
In addition to these port facilities, storage capacities in refrigerated containers will be increased: planned storage capacity on the short-term is 30 000 ton while, and the medium-term storage capacity goal is 80 000 ton.
Implementation of fish processing industries :
The first planned task is to update the supply of existing industries and to make a plan to modernize these industries and boost operators in their investments. This assessment would identify particularly usefully occupied spaces that are recoverable for new developments.
A second planned task by the Free Zone Authority AN- ZF is to create a modern robust industrial area offering some land plots along the dockside.
All facilities will be made to allow a sufficient number of fish processing plants to settle for an estimated one million tons of unloaded fish products in the prospects of 2030.
The third planned task is to establish a “competitive environment for modern fishing industry” with means of innovation, research, training and a specific standard of quality and origin recognition.
In addition, the AN- ZF plans to implement fish-farming and shellfish farming activities as part of the overall development strategy of the sea resources sector.