James Whitmee

I am now in Nouakchott in Mauritania looking at the housing market.

I was last here around 5 years ago and the city has hardly changed at all in terms real estate development, in the centre at least. Roads, however, have been massively improved with widening, new construction and some street lighting.

Today I was out to the north on the Route de Nouadibou where the new University of Nouakchott is under construction. This is also the location of the new airport, where I believe construction has not yet started.

It is also the site of a new mega-scheme known as Ribat El Bahr, funded by Banque Islamique de Développement (BID). The infrastructure is in at the front of the site and a new shopping mall is constructed but not yet open. It will be a satellite district for the capital on 675 hectares supporting 50,000 people. It looks to me like a 10 year project.

                                                          Camels outside of Nouakchott

                               Fishing village to west of Nouakchott - most fishermen are Senegalese

                                             Shopping mall at Ribat El Bahr - not yet occupied