Mauritania and World Bank Expand WARDIP Programme to Include AI Infrastructure and Skills

Mauritania and the World Bank have agreed to provide additional financing under the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program to expand its scope to include artificial intelligence infrastructure, the country’s digital ministry announced.

The agreement was reached during a working session between Minister Ahmed Salem Bede and a World Bank delegation led by Michel Rogy, the bank’s regional director for digital and AI programs across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Rogy was accompanied by Jana Kunicova, sector director for digital and AI in West and Central Africa, and Eric Dunand, the World Bank official overseeing the Mauritania project.

According to the ministry, the additional funding will support the development of AI-focused data infrastructure, local skills training and the deployment of AI-powered systems across several sectors of the economy.

As AI cements its place at the forefront of the global digital revolution, related initiatives across the continent are multiplying rapidly. A report published on Dec. 12, 2025, by the African Development Bank said inclusive AI deployment could fundamentally transform the African economy. Projections cited in the report suggest AI could generate up to $1 trillion in additional gross domestic product by 2035 — equivalent to roughly one-third of the continent’s current output — through productivity gains in agriculture, healthcare, education and financial services.

The West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program, known as WARDIP, was launched in November 2023 with an initial funding package of $266.5 million covering four countries, including Mauritania. The program initially focused on broadband connectivity, digital financial services and e-government. Mauritania’s share of the programme, valued at $60 million, was officially launched in 2024. In March, a second $137 million operation expanded the programme to Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone — although it did not include a dedicated AI component.