Mauritania: 2026 budget revised to 140.3 billion MRU, or 3.5 billion dollars

The Mauritanian government has set the revised budget for the 2026 fiscal year at 140.3 billion ouguiyas (MRU), or approximately 3.5 billion dollars, according to Financial Afrik, which based this calculation on an exchange rate close to 40 MRU per dollar. The specific reasons for this revision, whether a reassessment of revenues from gas or iron ore, or an adjustment in public spending, were not detailed by the source. This budgetary readjustment comes as Mauritania launched production in late 2024 at the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) offshore gas field, shared with Senegal and operated by BP and Kosmos Energy, a resource destined to have a lasting impact on the country's public finances. The Mauritanian economy also remains underpinned by iron ore exports via SNIM, the historic state-owned company, and benefits from an IMF financing program aimed at supporting macroeconomic stability. For the Mauritanian state, this revised budget sets the framework for public spending and investment for the remainder of the fiscal year, with direct implications for fiscal leeway and the trajectory of public debt. The country's creditors and financial partners will monitor the consistency of this revision with commitments made under the IMF program, in a regional context marked by volatility in commodity prices and the dollar.