Insurance in Mauritania

The main legal basis for private insurance is the Code des assurances established by Loi 93-40 of 20 July 1993 and amended by Ordonnance 026-2007 of 9 April 2007. Responsibility for sector supervision moved to the Ministry of Finance in 2018. The DCA, established within the ministry by Décret 349-2019, Article 186, and the Commission de Contrôle des Assurances supervise licensing, tariffs, compliance and insurer stability. The Commission Consultative des Assurances also forms part of the national insurance framework. The DCA can inspect insurers through document-based and on-site controls at least once a year, including possible unannounced inspections. Insurers submit semi-annual and annual reports, have their accounts certified by at least two statutory auditors, and must maintain technical provisions, a solvency margin and a guarantee deposit. Mauritania does not appear on the official CIMA member list, so the domestic Code des assurances applies rather than a CIMA code transfer. The latest comprehensive national market report located covers financial year 2022 and was published in 2024. It recorded total turnover of MRU 1,297,579,578. Fire insurance accounted for 56.1% of reported turnover, motor and automobile insurance for 11.3%, Transport et Facultés Maritimes (TFM) for 6.4%, the BDM category for 5.6%, life insurance for 5.0%, aviation for 4.6%, health insurance for 4.1%, liability insurance for 3.0%, special risks for 3.0%, travel for 0.2% and construction for 0.1%; other categories made up 0.7%. The report does not establish an expansion of the BDM label. DAMANE and NASR together accounted for 86% of the reported market. These figures are date-bound because no newer comprehensive national market table or register was located. Available private products include property and fire cover, machinery cover, transport, aviation, liability, motor, construction and engineering, travel, life and personal accident insurance. Evidence for DAMANE includes property damage, engineering, transport, aviation and tailored corporate cover. Evidence for NASR includes motor third-party liability, fire, theft, own-vehicle damage, glass and driver cover. The 2022 report listed 17 insurer entries, including SMAI, SGA, DAMANE, TAAMIN, MEDINA, CNA, AGM, El WAVA, RIM-Assurances, CAR, SAAR, SALAMA, GAMA, NASR, MAR and SUNU; IMAN was marked as still undergoing approval. Mutuelle SEHATY also appeared in the market snapshot. Examples of brokers include Nouvelle GS Mauritanie Rema Broking, Ascoma Mauritanie and CCAR. A provider's current licence and product availability should be checked directly because the market snapshot is not a current public register. Motor vehicles, motorcycles, trucks and agricultural machinery require RCA, meaning Responsabilité Civile Automobile. RCA covers bodily injury and property damage caused to third parties; it does not automatically cover the driver or damage to the insured vehicle. Optional cover may address own-vehicle damage, theft, glass or driver risks. Transport and imported cargo generally use TFM through an approved local insurer. Construction projects require construction liability and construction-damage cover before the chantier opens. Risks situated in Mauritania may not be directly insured abroad; breaching this local-placement rule can lead to a penalty of 50% of the insured value. A customer can normally arrange cover directly with a licensed insurer or through an approved broker. A policy should identify the parties, insured risk, coverage start and duration, guarantee amount, premium, renewal and termination rules, disclosure duties, claim deadlines, payment deadlines and the applicable limitation period. A quote is required, but no general public tariff table was located. The official report indicates that homologated tariffs are used mainly for RCA. The insured must disclose the risk accurately and report a new aggravating circumstance by registered letter within 15 days. A claim must be reported promptly and no later than the contractual deadline; statutory minimum periods include five working days for many claims, two working days for theft and 24 hours for the death of livestock. The insured must provide requested claim information within 15 days. The insurer must make a detailed offer by damage category within three months after receiving the claim. If the amount cannot yet be determined, it can make a provisional offer. A late offer adds 5%, and a late payment also adds 5%. After accepting an offer, the insured has seven days to withdraw, and payment is due no later than one month after that withdrawal period. If the insurer refuses the claim, it must give its reasons within the offer period; a late refusal also attracts the 5% addition. Legal action is subject to a two-year limitation period and requires a prior claim or amicable notice before a payment action. The Fonds de Garantie Automobile (FGA) protects injured persons when the liable driver is unknown, uninsured or financially insolvent. RCA insurers finance the fund collectively. In 2025, official reform information described implementation as 90% complete, while an operating-order draft still awaited validation by the Minister of Finance, so fully operational access was not yet evidenced. Statutory social insurance is administered by the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS), an établissement public created by Loi 67-039 of 3 February 1967. Its branches cover family benefits, occupational risks, and old-age, invalidity and survivor pensions. Coverage extends to groups including workers governed by the Labour Code or maritime employment rules, state contractors and non-permanent staff, vocational-school pupils, trainees and apprentices, domestic workers, and temporary or occasional workers. Occupational coverage includes work accidents and commuting accidents. The official ministry information lists retirement ages of 60 for men and 55 for women, together with a qualifying service period. CNSS financing totals 14% of the contribution base: 13% from the employer and 1% from the worker. The monthly contribution base has a ceiling of MRU 15,000, while the official SMIG floor is MRU 4,500. Décret 2021-186 allocates 9% to pensions, 2% to occupational risks and 3% to family benefits. Employers and workers register with CNSS, and employers submit quarterly contribution declarations. Benefit claims can use CNSS, Guichet métier or Khadamaty, with documents varying by benefit; examples include forms, work certificates, civil-status or birth records, school records, medical documents and death or inheritance records. Final payments are made through a caisse de paiement, and complaints can be submitted through Guichet métier or Khadamaty. Private policy renewal and termination follow the contract clauses. Mauritania has no centralized private-insurance switching or cancellation portal located in the available research. CNSS procedures are separate from private insurance, and private cover generally supplements or serves a different function from statutory social protection.