A continental APRM Delegation undertook an Advance Mission to Nouakchott, Mauritania, from 22 to 24 April 2014 at the request of APRM-Mauritania. Dr. Mustapha Mekideche, the Member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons in charge of the Mauritania Review Process, led the Delegation including Dr. Koffi Adorgloh from the APRM Secretariat.

The Delegation had an audience on 22 April 2014 with His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Head of State of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, who expressed his eagerness to see his country reviewed in conformity with the established codes and standards of the African Peer Review Mechanism.

The Delegation also met with the Prime Minister and four cabinet members from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Home Affairs and Decentralization. The Delegation held discussions with the Presidents of the Senate and National Assembly who highlighted the significant progress made by Mauritania in promoting freedom of expression and economic development.

Other landmarks of the Mission included sessions held with various civil society organizations within the Platform of the Non-State Actors on critical socio-economic and political issues facing the country and the existing road map for addressing the issues.
The APRM Delegation rounded off its broad-based consultations with a meeting that brought together political parties from the Presidential Majority (UPR) and the Opposition – (Convergence pour l’Alternance Pacifique , la Coordination des Partis d’Opposition and EL WIAM).

The Advance Mission ended with a Press Conference in which representatives from more than 10 Media Organizations participated. The Mission enabled the APRM Delegation to sensitize the public on the continental Mechanism, its mandate, its process, and the continental and national structures of the APRM, among other topics.

The major outputs of the Advance Mission were:

A Road map jointly drafted by the APRM Focal Point for Mauritania, Ambassador Ahmed Damou, and the continental APRM Delegation;

A Profile of the proposed National Governance Commission (NGC) to be set up, in which the opposition parties accepted to participate.