NARCO CLOSEHOLD: A Snapshot of Mauritania’s Oil and Gas Sector

By Geoff D. Porter

The Mauritanides Conference in Nouakchott last week was illustrative of the Mauritanian oil and gas sector’s current and future challenges. The fundamental question is whether Mauritania can capably handle the simultaneous attention (and concomitant demands) of four super majors and one mid-sized IOC. The short answer is “sort of.” The longer answer is “yes, but there are going to be significant complications that will slow processes and will likely result in problems for IOCs operating in Mauritania over the longer term.”