Mauritania Finalises Green Hydrogen Auction Plan to Power Clean Industrial Growth
Mauritania has taken a significant step towards becoming a leading hub for green hydrogen in Africa, following a high-level validation workshop aimed at finalising a competitive auction framework for green hydrogen and its derivatives.
The workshop, held in Nouakchott from 14 to 15 April 2026, brought together senior government officials and technical experts to review and refine auction procedures under the African Development Bank (AfDB)-supported “Support to Mauritania Green Hydrogen Sector Development Programme.”
The initiative is backed by the Africa Energy Transition Catalyst and the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme (AESTAP), both under the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). It represents the AfDB’s first dedicated technical assistance programme focused on green hydrogen development on the continent.
According to the AfDB, the programme is designed to help Mauritania establish the regulatory, legal and institutional foundations required to attract private investment and scale up its emerging hydrogen economy.
Wale Shonibare, AfDB Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, said Mauritania is positioning itself strategically within the global clean energy transition. “The African Development Bank is helping to lay the foundations needed to attract private capital, drive industrial transformation, and contribute to global decarbonisation efforts,” he said.
Since its launch in April 2025, the programme has focused on developing a structured auction system for green hydrogen production, creating a national legal and regulatory framework, preparing standardised bidding documents, and designing an implementation roadmap.
Officials say the auction system is a key mechanism to convert Mauritania’s renewable energy potential into bankable projects, particularly in green ammonia and green steel production.
Taghiya Abdelrahman, Head of the Low Carbon Hydrogen Directorate at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, said the initiative marks a turning point for the country’s energy transition. “This auction mechanism is a critical step towards unlocking our renewable energy potential and translating it into industrial growth, job creation, and long-term economic value,” she said.
The validation workshop followed a series of capacity-building sessions held in 2025, which focused on auction design, infrastructure planning for hydrogen hubs, and financial structuring of power-to-X projects, with emphasis on risk allocation.
More than 25 senior representatives participated, including officials from the ministries of energy, environment, state domains, ports, as well as national institutions such as the Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière and the Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures.
AfDB Project Task Manager Freda Opoku described the workshop as a key milestone in preparing Mauritania’s hydrogen sector for investment. “By combining robust auction design with targeted capacity building, we are ensuring that institutions are equipped to engage effectively with private investors,” she said.
Mauritania aims to produce 12.5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2035 and is part of the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, alongside Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.
Feedback from the workshop will be incorporated into the final auction framework, paving the way for the rollout of Mauritania’s green hydrogen procurement strategy and positioning the country as an emerging frontier in Africa’s clean energy transition.
