Consumer protection in Mauritania

Loi n°2020-007 du 4 June 2020 protects health and safety, economic consumer interests, market order and access to consumer information. It also targets fraud. The law covers goods and services supplied for payment or free of charge for human or animal consumption. Medicines and diagnostic products are excluded from this general framework and follow specialised health controls. The Ministère du Commerce et du Tourisme, through its Direction de la Protection des Consommateurs et de la Répression des Fraudes (DPCPRF), controls producers, importers, sellers, food, non-food goods and services. Regional delegations extend this work across Mauritania. Inspections and sampling can lead to seizure, withdrawal from the market or public warnings. For dangerous products, the producer or importer bears the related costs. Toxic food violations can lead to a fine of up to MRU 5,000,000 and imprisonment of up to five years; other false-labelling and safety violations can also carry fines or imprisonment. Price information must be available before a contract is made. A displayed price should be readable, and a price per unit of measurement may be required. Special offers should show both the reference price and the reduced price. When the final price cannot be known in advance, the seller should explain the calculation method and possible additional costs. A service provider should list chargeable services and additional costs. Food labels must be in Arabic and French and normally state the product name, ingredients and quantities, net weight, production and expiry dates, any use-by period after opening, manufacturer contact details, instructions, storage conditions, batch, allergens and warnings. Mauritania has no general statutory return or refund right or standard individual compensation period established in the reviewed sources. A complaint to the administration mainly seeks investigation and sanctions; it does not automatically produce a refund. Fines are paid to the state rather than identified as compensation for the affected consumer. Keep the invoice, contract, receipt, payment record, label, advertisement, messages, photographs, date and place of the incident. Complaints can be submitted to the DPCPRF or a regional delegation. The Himayti electronic complaint portal accepts submissions and provides tracking, although its public starting page does not define every sector assignment. Free telephone channels include 80001080 and 80001090 for Mauritel, 80003006 and 80003007 for Chinguitel, and 34112200 for Mattel. The reviewed sources do not establish a general administrative processing deadline. In May 2025, 322 complaints were processed; during 2025, the authorities reported 3,620 complaints processed, 4,350 controls and 9,022 violations. Consumer associations can provide advice, assistance, legal support, public information and market monitoring. An association may be general or specialised and may operate nationally or at wilaya, moughataa, commune or neighbourhood level. At least 20 consumers are required to establish one under the described framework. An association may request urgent intervention from an administrative authority at any time. Where a health risk exists, it may also initiate public-prosecution action. The reviewed sources do not publish a standard fee or deadline for association assistance. Electronic contracts, advertising and distance sales are governed in part by Loi n°2018-022. The provider is generally responsible for proper performance of the contract, including work carried out by a subcontractor. The provider must retain electronic contracts and make them accessible on request. If the agreed service or product is unavailable, the provider must inform the consumer no later than 24 hours before the agreed delivery time and provide a full refund. If the provider breaches the contract outside force majeure, the consumer may have grounds for cancellation, repayment and possibly damages. The reviewed sources do not establish a general 14-day withdrawal right. Financial complaints normally begin with the bank, payment institution or insurer. Banks must make information about prices, interest, commissions and fees public and maintain a transparent internal customer-complaint service. The Banque Centrale de Mauritanie may issue consumer-protection rules for financial and payment services. Electronic-payment terms must be clear and understandable, available in Arabic and French, and supplied on paper or another durable medium without charge. Payment and electronic-money institutions must maintain a customer-complaint structure and visible information about complaints, out-of-court mechanisms and chronological records. The reviewed sources do not establish a national external ombudsman deadline. Insurance matters fall under the Code des assurances and supervision by the Ministry of Finance; no general consumer compensation deadline was established. Telecommunications providers must give clear information about tariffs, contracts and service quality, protect confidentiality and apply equal treatment. They must publish a complaint procedure. The telecommunications regulator, commonly identified as ARE, may review compliance after a customer complaint or during an inspection. During a service disruption, the provider must inform the regulator and customers without delay and state the expected restoration time. A planned offer change requires advance information; the customer may cancel without a penalty and has 30 days to decide. Activation can exclude a later cancellation right. The authorities conducted quality-of-service controls for Mattel, Mauritel and Chinguitel in 2025. For electricity, the 2022 Code de l’électricité allows a user, a user association or another person with a legitimate interest to report violations. The electricity regulator can require corrective action within a set period. Continued non-compliance can lead to licence suspension, licence withdrawal or a fine of up to 5% of turnover or MRU 10,000,000. A regulatory sanction may be challenged before the Cour Suprême within one month. SOMELEC's permanent disruption and complaint hotline is 80001414. The reviewed sources do not establish an individual electricity-refund deadline. Travel agencies and travel offices require licences and are supervised by the Direction du Tourisme. The administrative procedure described in the sources includes a provisional authorisation issued in about two weeks and valid for six months. The fee for the provider is MRU 8,000 for type A and MRU 5,000 for type B; these are not consumer charges. Travel complaints may be sent through the central secretariat. The reviewed sources do not establish specific general rules for package-tour cancellation, refunds or compensation. Contract disputes may involve the provider, Commerce, Tourism or the ordinary courts. Food complaints involving spoiled, expired or dangerous products can be reported to the AMSSA hotline at 1113, which operates 24 hours a day. Medicines and diagnostic products require specialist handling through the Ministry of Health, the Direction de la Pharmacie et des Laboratoires or CAMEC rather than the general consumer-protection law. The authorities intensified seizures of unauthorised or falsified medicines, cosmetics and supplements in 2025. Unknown or unauthorised health products should not be used and should be reported. Commercial deception, false prices, short measures, incorrect invoices and false labels can be reported to the DPCPRF, a regional delegation, a consumer association, the police or the courts. Digital financial or payment fraud should first be reported to the provider and, where appropriate, the Banque Centrale de Mauritanie, the police or the courts. Data-protection violations can be reported to the Autorité de Protection des Données or the police and courts. Choosing the responsible body by sector prevents a general complaint from being sent to an institution that cannot investigate the underlying problem.