Advancing Integrated Water Management in Mauritania: A strong close to 2025

A great way to close out 2025: in December, World Water Academy officially launched the training programme “Advancing Integrated Management and Partnerships for Sustainable Water Solutions” in Nouakchott, Mauritania—and we were excited to be part of it.

This programme addresses the critical water management challenges faced in Mauritania, with a focus on water scarcity, infrastructure, climate change, effective management strategies, and transboundary collaboration. Each element of the training is carefully designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle these challenges in practice.

The three-day training in Nouakchott was facilitated by Ele Jan Saaf and Caroline Rouppe van der Voort on behalf of World Water Academy. The session focused on analysing the training needs of a highly engaged group of 25 participants, of whom 30% were women. The insights gathered during these days will form the foundation for the design of the follow-up training activities.

After allowing time for participants to get to know one another, Ele Jan Saaf introduced the principles of integrated water management. This immediately sparked lively discussions in small groups, marked by a high level of interaction and openness. The group was clearly enthusiastic and motivated, and the applied training methods proved very effective. A role-play exercise, for example, provided valuable insights into the complexity of balancing different stakeholder interests.

Throughout the training, participants and trainer exchanged experiences about water availability and quality challenges in their respective countries. Despite Mauritania’s largely arid climate, we discovered many similarities with the Netherlands.

Both countries face risks of flooding due to intense precipitation, deal with salinisation, and are exploring alternative ways of water reuse, such as treated wastewater for various purposes (also called unconventional waters). The group also expressed strong interest in learning more about data-driven monitoring.

The upcoming training in the Netherlands will combine theoretical sessions with excursions, further deepening participants’ understanding of integrated water management based on decades of Dutch experience on this subject.

Three energising and interactive training days—now we can’t wait to welcome the group to the Netherlands. A big thank you to Mr. Moulaye El Hassen Ahmedou (Ministry of Water and Sanitation) for his excellent support in organising the programme, and to Mr. Moudo Ba for sharing Mauritanian culture and hospitality with us.

This training is part of the MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP), which focuses on enhancing the skills and knowledge of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The program, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Shiraka programme and managed by Nuffic, seeks to contribute to sustainable and inclusive development in these countries by building professional capacities and fostering international collaboration.

By providing specialised training in areas such as integrated water management, the MSP equips participants with the tools and expertise needed to tackle pressing challenges in water resources, infrastructure, and governance. The programme also emphasises the importance of sharing knowledge between countries, creating opportunities for long-term partnerships and mutual learning.