Debt in Mauritania

Mauritania’s debt landscape includes public borrowing, private credit, arrears, collection and business insolvency. Public debt is led by the Direction de la dette publique within the Ministry of Finance, with the Banque Centrale de Mauritanie and the Direction Générale du Trésor et de la Comptabilité Publique supporting data and reconciliation. The Comité National de la Dette Publique contributes to strategy and oversight. An official mid-2025 bulletin recorded public debt of about 191,000.18 million MRU, with 84% external debt and 16% domestic debt. External debt was about 161,392.66 million MRU, divided between multilateral and bilateral creditors, while domestic debt was about 29,607.52 million MRU, consisting mainly of Treasury securities and a Banque Centrale de Mauritanie claim. An IMF assessment at the end of 2025 placed public debt at about 39.2% of GDP and external debt at about 32.7% of GDP, with a moderate overall risk of debt distress under its baseline. Export-price changes, droughts, floods, exchange-rate exposure, security shocks and domestic refinancing needs can affect public debt. Around 48.46% of domestic debt was due for refinancing in 2026, and about 84% of the overall portfolio was exposed to foreign-currency movements. The 2026–2028 strategy therefore emphasizes concessional or semi-concessional external finance and longer domestic maturities. Private borrowing is available through approximately 18 banks, about 34 microfinance institutions, leasing, merchant or supplier credit and secured lending. Microfinance institutions serve a large client base through a limited service network, while three mobile-money operators mainly support payments and remittances rather than functioning as a documented direct debt equivalent. Private-sector credit is shallow compared with many other markets, and formal borrowing remains limited, especially outside major urban centres. A written agreement should identify the principal, interest, fees, maturity, instalments, collateral and guarantees. Access depends on the lender’s assessment, documentation, repayment capacity, collateral and location. No verified nationwide consumer-credit rate cap or standardized affordability test was identified. Family and friends, private lenders, merchants, community networks and food purchased on credit also provide liquidity, but their interest, security, timing and enforceability vary. Written proof of the amount owed, receipts and payment records are particularly valuable in informal arrangements. A borrower generally has to follow the agreed payment schedule. When repayment becomes difficult, early contact with the creditor can support a request for rescheduling, restructuring or settlement. Keep the agreement, account statements, payment proofs, notices and correspondence. A creditor may seek amicable payment, judicial recovery, enforcement against collateral or other lawful remedies. Mauritania has a special recovery framework for claims of banks and financial institutions, but the current enacted text and detailed deadlines for every recovery step require case-specific verification. Commercial courts operate in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, and commercial chambers exist at wilaya courts. Court access is concentrated in the main urban centres. The Commercial Code recognizes seizure, creditor claims, guarantees and judicial enforcement. The Ministry of Justice reported a 2020 reform removing or limiting imprisonment for civil and commercial debt, but the consolidated current text should be checked before relying on that position. Business insolvency differs from ordinary personal debt. A commercial actor who has reached cessation des paiements, meaning the business can no longer meet due debts, generally has a duty to declare that situation within 30 days. A Tribunal de commerce can order redressement judiciaire when continuation or a concordat, such as an approved arrangement with creditors, remains possible. It can order liquidation judiciaire when the situation is irreversibly compromised. The court appoints a juge-commissaire and a syndic to supervise the procedure, verify claims and administer the relevant process. Liquidation removes the debtor’s control over the administration and disposal of assets. Responsible managers may face commercial or public-function prohibitions lasting from three to ten years in cases covered by the applicable rules. A guarantor or co-debtor may remain exposed even when the main borrower negotiates or enters insolvency proceedings. After settlement, obtain a written release, an updated account statement and, where relevant, proof that collateral has been released or removed from the register. Confirm separately that no guarantor obligation, co-debtor liability or remaining enforcement action continues. No nationwide credit-record rehabilitation or fresh-start procedure was identified.