AGP Executive Report

Food Security: The World Food Programme warns that 10.5 million people across the Sahel, including Mauritania, are expected to face hunger this year, with more than a million on the brink of starvation. Conflict, drought and displacement are worsening the crisis. Drug-Use Risks: Mauritania joined a North African workshop examining drug trafficking and consumption, including their public-health and social impacts, and ways to strengthen regional cooperation. Health Leadership: Mauritania’s new government brings Naha Hamdi Mouknass back to the health portfolio. The country’s newly appointed WHO representative, Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, has also presented her credentials.

Sahel Hunger: The WFP warns that 10.5 million people across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger face hunger this year, with more than a million near starvation. Displacement has risen 400% since 2019, compounding the crisis. Drug-Use Risks: Mauritania joined a North African workshop examining drug trafficking and consumption, including their public-health and social impacts. HIV Care: In Senegal, fear of arrest amid an anti-LGBT crackdown is keeping some people from HIV testing and treatment; a Dakar doctor says about one-third of patients have stopped attending appointments. Health Leadership: Mauritania’s new government reshuffle includes Naha Hamdi Mouknass returning to the Health portfolio. WHO Partnership: Mauritania’s foreign minister received credentials from the newly appointed WHO representative, Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma.

HIV Access: Senegal’s intensifying crackdown is driving some LGBTQ people into hiding and away from HIV testing and treatment; a Dakar doctor said one-third of patients had stopped attending appointments, according to Human Rights Watch. Mauritania’s Health Leadership: The new government brings Naha Hamdi Mouknass back to the Health portfolio. Separately, the foreign minister received credentials from the WHO’s newly appointed representative to Mauritania. Food Security: Acute food insecurity affected more than 54.8 million people across West Africa and the Sahel during the lean season. Harvests are expected to improve food supplies, but recovery remains uneven, especially in conflict-hit areas.

Food Security: A revised regional outlook found 54.8 million people across West Africa and the Sahel faced acute food insecurity during June–August. Harvests are improving supplies, but unevenly. Seafood and Health: An international investigation warns that farmed fish’s reliance on fishmeal can divert wild fish from local diets and conceal environmental damage; Senegal’s fishmeal industry has also drawn concerns over pollution and community health. HIV Access: Human Rights Watch says Senegal’s crackdown on LGBT people is driving some to avoid HIV testing and treatment. Mauritania’s Health Leadership: Naha Hamdi Mouknass returns as health minister in Prime Minister El Moctar Ould Djay’s new cabinet. Mauritania’s foreign minister also received credentials from newly appointed WHO representative Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma. Migrant Health: A Nigerian asylum seeker described detention in Nouadhibou as lacking food, water and shelter, and said injured detainees were denied medical attention.

Health Ministry: Mauritania’s new government brings Naha Hamdi Mouknass back to the health portfolio, amid a wider reshuffle that also changed the defence and interior leadership. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside distribution of prescription glasses and medicines, working with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme and local partners. WHO: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, the new WHO representative in Mauritania. Family Planning: The Ouagadougou Partnership, which includes Mauritania, says 15 years of regional work helped expand access to modern contraception and avert unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.

Health Ministry: Mauritania’s new government reshuffle includes a change at the Health Ministry, with Naha Hamdi Mouknass returning to the post. WHO Partnership: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of newly appointed WHO representative Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside prescription glasses and medicines, in partnership with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme. Reproductive Health: A regional SWEDD parliamentary network, formed after a Nouakchott meeting, aims to advance women’s empowerment and reproductive health.

Health Leadership: Mauritania’s new 29-member government reshuffles the health portfolio, with Naha Hamdi Mouknass returning as health minister. WHO Partnership: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of newly appointed WHO representative Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has begun 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside distributing glasses and medicines. Reproductive Health: Mauritania is among nine countries in the Ouagadougou Partnership, which says its work has expanded access to modern contraception and helped avert maternal deaths and unintended pregnancies across West Africa.

Health Leadership: Mauritania’s new government brings Naha Hamdi Mouknass back to the Health Ministry, while the foreign minister has received the credentials of newly appointed WHO representative Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside glasses and medicines, in partnership with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme. Reproductive Health: Mauritania is among nine countries in the Ouagadougou Partnership, which says its 15 years of work helped expand access to contraception and avert maternal deaths across the region. Healthcare Access: An Afrobarometer survey found 71% of Mauritanians support universal healthcare, even if it requires higher taxes. Migrant Health: A Nigerian asylum seeker described poor conditions at detention sites in Nouadhibou, including a lack of food, water and medical care; he said he and his young daughter were later deported.

WHO in Mauritania: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, the World Health Organization’s new representative in Mauritania. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside distributing prescription glasses and medicines, in partnership with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme. Family Planning: The Ouagadougou Partnership, which includes Mauritania, says its 15 years of work across nine West African countries have expanded access to modern contraception and helped avert maternal deaths and unintended pregnancies. Healthcare Access: A new Afrobarometer survey found 71% of Mauritanians support universal healthcare even if it requires higher taxes, compared with 70% across Africa. Regional Health: An investigation into Senegal’s fishmeal plants describes pollution complaints and health concerns in coastal communities, alongside pressure on local fish supplies.

WHO Leadership: Mauritania’s new WHO representative, Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, presented her credentials to Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has begun 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside the distribution of glasses and medicines. Healthcare Access: A regional Afrobarometer survey found 71% of Mauritanians support universal healthcare even if it requires higher taxes. Family Planning: Mauritania’s participation in the Ouagadougou Partnership was highlighted as the regional initiative marked 15 years of work on reproductive health and family planning.

WHO in Mauritania: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, the new WHO representative in Mauritania. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched a campaign for 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside distribution of prescription glasses and medicines, working with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme. Family Planning: Mauritania is among nine countries in the Ouagadougou Partnership, which reports 15 years of progress in reproductive health and family planning across West Africa. Women’s Health: A SWEDD parliamentary delegation visited Mauritania’s National Assembly after a regional meeting that called for a parliamentary network to advance women’s empowerment and reproductive health. Healthcare Financing: In an Afrobarometer survey across 38 African countries, 71% of Mauritanians supported universal healthcare even if it required higher taxes.

WHO in Mauritania: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, the new WHO representative. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has begun 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside distributing prescription glasses and medicines. Family Planning: A regional SWEDD parliamentary network is planned to advance women’s empowerment and reproductive health. Separately, the Ouagadougou Partnership says its 15-year work across nine West African countries, including Mauritania, helped expand access to contraception and avert maternal deaths. Healthcare Funding: An Afrobarometer survey found 71% of Mauritanians support universal healthcare even if it requires higher taxes, just above the 70% continental average.

WHO Leadership: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, the WHO’s newly appointed representative in Mauritania. Women’s Health: A regional SWEDD parliamentary delegation visited Nouakchott as members work to build a network promoting women’s empowerment and reproductive health. Regional Cooperation: Mauritania and Algeria signed a health agreement covering prevention, hospital management, training and cross-border health surveillance. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in Mauritania, alongside distribution of prescription glasses and medicines. Family Planning: The Ouagadougou Partnership says its 15 years of work across nine West African countries, including Mauritania, helped expand access to modern contraception and avert unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.

WHO Leadership: Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug received the credentials of Dr. Zouha Renée Tania Bissouma, Mauritania’s newly appointed WHO representative. Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries, alongside prescription glasses and medicines, in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, working with Mauritania’s blindness-control programme and local partners. Health Co-operation: Mauritania and Algeria signed an agreement covering public health, prevention, hospital management and health surveillance, including co-ordination at border areas. Reproductive Health: Mauritania’s participation in the regional Ouagadougou Partnership has contributed to wider family-planning and sexual and reproductive health efforts; the partnership reports millions of additional women gaining access to modern contraception. Women’s Empowerment: A SWEDD parliamentary network was proposed to promote women’s empowerment and reproductive health across member countries.

Eye Care: Qatar Charity has launched 250 cataract surgeries in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, alongside prescription glasses and medicines, working with Mauritania’s National Programme for Blindness Control. Reproductive Health: A visit by parliamentarians from SWEDD member countries followed a Nouakchott meeting that backed a regional network to promote women’s empowerment and reproductive health. The Ouagadougou Partnership, which includes Mauritania, also marked 15 years of family-planning and sexual-health work across nine West African countries. Health Cooperation: Mauritania and Algeria signed an agreement covering public health, prevention, hospital management and health surveillance at their border, with a joint committee to oversee its implementation. Migrant Health: A Nigerian asylum seeker described detention conditions in Nouadhibou as lacking food, water and shelter, and said detainees who injured themselves trying to escape received no medical care.

Eye Care in Mauritania: Qatar Charity launched an initiative in El Ghaire, Moudjeria and Legrane, delivering 250 cataract surgeries plus prescription glasses and medicines, coordinated with Mauritania’s blindness control programme and local partners. Health Cooperation: Mauritania and Algeria signed a health cooperation agreement covering public health prevention, hospital management, border health surveillance and staff exchanges, with a joint technical committee to track results. Family Planning Gains: The Ouagadougou Partnership marked 15 years of SRHR and family planning progress across nine West African countries including Mauritania, citing millions of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions averted and expanded access to modern contraception. Older People in Crises: As the International Day of Older Persons is marked, humanitarian groups highlight how conflict and disasters worsen chronic conditions and social isolation for elderly people. Healthcare Affordability Debate: A new Afrobarometer study on universal healthcare shows high worry about affording care in the region, with Mauritania’s support for tax-funded healthcare reported at 71%. Water for Kiffa: Abu Dhabi Fund for Development agreed to help finance a drinking-water project for Kiffa and nearby towns, aiming to improve access and reduce long journeys for water. Education & Health Link: France and Mauritania signed a concessional loan for 10 solar power stations with storage, supporting broader access to basic services including health.