Nouakchott electricity cuts threaten Mauritania’s fish-freezing industry

19:15

Mauritania’s fish-processing industry is facing mounting pressure as prolonged electricity cuts in Nouakchott threaten production, damage stocks and raise the prospect of business closures.

The latest disruption follows a fire that damaged two electricity transformers in the capital at the end of August. The incident temporarily deprived six of Nouakchott’s nine municipalities of power and severely affected dozens of businesses operating along the city’s fishermen’s beach.

Although electricity has gradually returned, industrial operators say the situation remains unstable. Repeated load-shedding episodes can last for many hours, making normal operations difficult for factories whose activities depend on uninterrupted refrigeration.

Dozens of factories affected

Around 50 fish-processing and freezing facilities are reported to have been affected by the disruption. For operators handling highly perishable products, even a relatively short interruption can compromise frozen stocks and reduce the commercial value of fish.

The National Fisheries Federation’s Southern Section has raised the issue with senior government officials, including the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Infrastructure, the Minister of Energy and the head of the Mauritanian Electricity Company (SOMELEC).

Industry representatives have reported substantial losses, including deterioration of stored fish and damage to products in facilities without backup generators.

The scale of the problem is particularly significant because refrigeration infrastructure requires continuous power. Storage chambers and freezing tunnels cannot easily be maintained by limited generator capacity, according to Béchir Hassena, a representative of the factory owners’ committee.

A sector already under pressure

The electricity crisis comes at a difficult moment for Mauritania’s fishing industry, which is already dealing with concerns over the growing use of small pelagic fish for fishmeal production.

Producing one kilogram of fishmeal requires roughly six to seven kilograms of fresh fish. More than 60% of Mauritania’s small-pelagic catch is reportedly directed toward fishmeal production, intensifying competition over the use of marine resources available to other parts of the fishing economy.

For fish processors and traders, the combination of unstable electricity supplies and existing pressure on raw materials has created an increasingly difficult operating environment.

Traders count the cost of spoiled stocks

The impact extends beyond industrial plants to fish merchants who depend on refrigeration to preserve their products.

Mohamed Abdallah, a trader who travelled from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott with 1,000 cartons of fish, said the prolonged power interruption resulted in the loss of 700 cartons.

Such losses illustrate how an electricity disruption can quickly spread through the seafood supply chain, affecting processors, wholesalers, traders and workers.

Abidine Sidati, another factory operator, has called for intervention at the highest level, warning that prolonged difficulties could put thousands of direct and indirect jobs at risk.

A strategic industry for Mauritania

The stakes extend well beyond the immediate losses recorded by individual companies. Fisheries account for around 10% of Mauritania’s gross domestic product and represent the country’s second-largest export sector after iron ore.

Mauritania has approximately 700 kilometres of coastline and occupies an important position in the international fishmeal and fish-oil trade. Greenpeace has described the country as a leading exporter of these products and a major supplier to the European market.

According to figures cited by the environmental organisation, Mauritania produces more than 110,000 tonnes of fishmeal annually, with about 18% exported to the European Union. Fish-oil production is estimated at close to 35,000 tonnes, more than 70% of which is destined for the EU.

The latest power crisis therefore exposes a broader vulnerability within the country’s fisheries economy: an industry that depends simultaneously on reliable electricity, cold-chain infrastructure and stable access to fish resources.

For Nouakchott’s freezing plants, restoring a stable electricity supply is consequently not simply an operational issue. It has become a condition for preserving stocks, protecting businesses and maintaining employment across a strategically important sector.