Sectors we work in
We do not cover every sector. Those that follow give the corridor’s economy its structure and raise precise accounting and tax questions, which the firm’s experience allows us to handle without going through a third party.
Gas is changing the composition of the Mauritanian economy. Around the operators a subcontracting chain is taking shape, with its contracts in foreign currency and its own separate tax regime.
Iron, gold and copper remain the bedrock of exports. The accounts of a mining company or of a supplier to the sector read differently: heavy fixed assets, inventories, long cycles.
Fishing is the first economic link between the two shores, and frozen products pass through Las Palmas. The framework for access to the resource is negotiated and changes over time.
The corridor lives off its links. Freight forwarders, shipping agents, hauliers and warehouses share the same questions: customs regime, proof of origin, indirect taxation of freight.
The projects announced are numerous and few have been financed. We treat them like any infrastructure project: feasibility, financial model, applicable regime, timetable for authorisations.
Roads, ports, water networks and public buildings call for long contracts, guarantees and staged payments. Construction accounting is an exercise of its own.
Importing and exporting between the Union, the Canary Islands and West Africa brings separate indirect tax regimes into play. The landed cost is settled as much at customs as at purchase.
Professional firms, engineering consultancies and service companies cross the border with their employees. The question is no longer the goods: it is residence, withholding and permanent establishment.
Structure of the economy
Mauritanian exports are spread across a small number of products, to which gas is now added. The chart gives the proportions, with its source and its reference year.
A concentrated economy is not fragile by definition, but it passes on price movements quickly. The turnover of a mining subcontractor follows the price of the metal; the cash position of a fish exporter follows the season and the framework for access to the resource. It is a management fact before it is a macroeconomic one.
For a company director, this comes down to a few simple questions: in which currency do I invoice, when am I actually paid, and what share of my business depends on a single client or a single regime. We often start there, before discussing legal form.
Mauritania — goods exports by product, 2025
In millions of dollars, FOB exports. Total: USD 4,296 M.
FMI — Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Country Report nº 26/158 (juin 2026) (2025) · Autoridad Portuaria de Las Palmas — bulletin statistique, décembre 2025 (2025)
| Product | Exports |
|---|---|
| Gold | 1,870 M USD |
| Iron ore | 1,107 M USD |
| Fish | 827 M USD |
| Hydrocarbons | 237 M USD |
| Copper | 138 M USD |
| Other products | 117 M USD |
Our method
We do not apply a ready-made sector model. The approach is the same for every file; what changes is the subject matter and the authorities on the other side.
We look first at what is produced, where, for whom and with what flows. The legal form and the tax regime are decided afterwards, never the other way round.
Incorporation, approvals, registrations, bank accounts: setting up is a sequence of steps whose order matters. One missing document holds up several others.
The obligations arrive after the set-up. The calendar is kept in both countries and anything calling for a decision is flagged before it is too late.
First conversation
Describe your situation and your timetable to us. We will tell you what is possible, on what conditions, and what has to be checked before any commitment is made.