- Mauritania launches “Ijraati” portal consolidating over 800 procedures
- Platform centralizes services, supports full digitization roadmap
- Country ranks 165th in UN 2024 e-government index
The Mauritanian government launched a digital platform for administrative procedures earlier this week. Named "Ijraati," the portal consolidates more than 800 processes into a single centralized directory of administrative procedures for citizens, investors and businesses, as part of the country’s broader public administration digitization strategy.
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Modernization of Administration, "Ijraati" allows users to consult required documents, processing times and the relevant agencies. The platform also includes an administrative dashboard and tracking tools to help ensure procedures remain up to date.
At the launch workshop, Minister Ahmed Salem Ould Bede said the official launch of the national administrative procedures portal "Ijraati" marks a key step in modernizing public administration, according to the Mauritanian Information Agency (AMI).
He outlined a three-phase roadmap: centralizing all procedures on a unified national platform; continuously updating them and ensuring data reliability in coordination with relevant ministries; and fully digitizing the most frequently used services and integrating them into the "Khdamati" platform so that transactions can be completed remotely, within set deadlines and with full transparency.
Several services have been added in recent months, including student enrollment at the University of Nouakchott; the Digital Road Traffic System (SNTR); investor services such as company registration and investment code approval applications; criminal record certificates; vehicle registration documents; certificates of loss for official documents; and services from the Mauritanian Electricity Company (SOMELEC).
These efforts come as the government steps up initiatives to position digital technology as a driver of socioeconomic development. In January 2025, it launched the "Digital-Y" project, backed by four million euros in funding through a partnership with German development cooperation. The project aims to further integrate digital tools into public administration to modernize services and strengthen administrative transparency.
Mauritania currently ranks 165th globally in the United Nations’ 2024 E-Government Development Index (EGDI), with a score of 0.3491 out of 1, below both the African and global averages. Among the index’s three sub-indices, the country records its lowest score in online services, at 0.1688 out of 1.
On cybersecurity, Mauritania falls within the fourth and second-to-last tier of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Cybersecurity Index 2024. The ITU notes a relatively solid performance on the legislative front but identifies room for improvement at the organizational, technical, capacity-building and cooperation levels.
Availability vs. adoption
The faster rollout of digital services nonetheless raises questions about real-world uptake and whether the administration is effectively reaching the population it aims to serve. According to the ITU, 2G coverage reached 97% of the Mauritanian population in 2023. In 2022, 3G and 4G networks covered 43.9% and 34.7% of the population, respectively.
Beyond network coverage, adoption depends on access to compatible devices such as smartphones, computers or tablets. Some 56.61% of Mauritanians aged 15 and older owned a smartphone at the end of 2024, according to the World Bank.
Other factors also shape usage, including the affordability of telecom services, digital literacy, service quality and public trust in government platforms. Mauritania had approximately two million internet users at the end of December 2025, representing a penetration rate of 37.4%, according to DataReportal.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
