An Omani-Mauritanian Cooperation Project in Records Preservation, Maintenance and electronic Storage Field

The Minister Aissata Ba Yahia, Secretary General of the Mauritanian Government, inaugurated at the headquarters of the General Commission for National Archives in Nouakchott the Omani-Mauritanian cooperation project in records and archives field that includes providing technical support, electronic storage, and qualifying the cadres. The opening of the joint project coincided with the celebrations of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on the sixty-third anniversary of national independence and the selection of Nouakchott as the capital of culture in the Islamic world.

Her Excellency the Minister, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Hamad Al-Dhawyani, Chairman of the National Records and Archives Authority, His Excellency Sheikh Saif Al-Maamari, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Mauritania, and a number of ambassadors of Arab countries, as well as the presence of senior officials in the General Secretariat of the Mauritanian government, toured various departments including manual and automatic restoration laboratories, a chemical treatment laboratory, and the automated storage hall.

After the tour, Mohamed Al-Mukhtar Sidi, the Permanent Representative for National Archives of Mauritania, delivered a speech where he stressed the extreme importance of preserving the archive, as it represents a tool that preserves the rights of individuals and bodies, as well as facilitating the work of public administration in various fields, an essential source of scientific and historical research and a pillar of national identity and memory.

Mohamed Al-Mukhtar explained that this project is considered the result of bilateral cooperation between the General Commission for National Archives and the National Records and Archives Authority in the Sultanate of Oman, and in implementation of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the two countries in March 2021. He stressed that this cooperation was provided by the NRAA within the framework of support and technical advice to the Commission through a training program for 21 employees from the General Commission in various archival specialties under the direct supervision of Omani experts.

Finally, Al-Mukhtar expressed his sincere thanks to the NRAA for its support to the General Commission by transferring the Omani experience in the field of preservation and maintenance of national records. He also expressed his thanks to His Excellency the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman in Nouakchott for his appreciated efforts in following up this project and ensuring its success, and to His Excellency Dr. Al-Dhawyani, Chairman of the National Records and Archives Authority.