The Nouakchott Region launched last thursday its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) by bringing together all the stakeholders involved in urban mobility issues (Ministries, technical agencies, local authorities, the general public, etc.). This project is a continuation of the Urban Development Master Plan (SDAU) drawn up in partnership with the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Regional Development (MHUAT), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MET) and the Japanese Cooperation Agency (JICA). This planning document was approved in 2019 by the Council of Ministers and proposes a vision for the urban development of Nouakchott by 2040.
The Mauritanian capital has grown very rapidly in recent years. In 2021, its population was estimated at 1.2 million inhabitants, i.e., 300,000 more than 10 years ago. This demographic trend is driven by a significant rural exodus and the population being young (57% of the population is under 25 years old). In a growing urban area where the population density is 55 inhabitants/ha, mobility issues are becoming increasingly important for the inhabitants. Congestion is on the rise, despite a car ownership rate of around 40 vehicles per 1000 inhabitants.
Following the transfer of responsibility for "regional planning and development" from the Mauritanian State, and more specifically "encouraging the development of road transport in the region" and "contributing to the development and implementation of infrastructure and service plans of regional interest", the Nouakchott Region (created in 2018 in place of the Nouakchott Urban Community) sought to draw up a SUMP in order to define a multi-modal strategy for the agglomeration.
This SUMP is part of the Funded Project for the Nouakchott Region for Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Development (ARENDDRE) financed by the European Union and involving various partners (FMDV, Grand Paris Sud, CIEDEL and African local authorities that are members of the RECOPACTE network). Transitec, in partnership with Urbaplan, was selected to carry out this SUMP, almost 15 years after completing the Nouakchott Transport Plan (PDN) in 2006.