Mokhtar Ould Djay | |
|---|---|
المختار ولد أجاي | |
.jpg) Ould Djay in 2019 | |
| Prime Minister of Mauritania | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2024 | |
| President | Mohamed Ould Ghazouani |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Ould Bilal |
| Head of the President's Office | |
| In office 4 July 2023 – 2 August 2024 | |
| President | Mohamed Ould Ghazouani |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | |
| In office 9 February 2016 – 5 August 2019 | |
| President | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by |
|
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 16 January 2015 – 9 February 2016 | |
| President | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz |
| Prime Minister | Yahya Ould Hademine |
| Preceded by | Himself(Finance) |
| Succeeded by | Himself(Economy and Finance) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1973-12-28)28 December 1973 (age 51) Moudjéria,Tagant,Mauritania |
| Political party | El Insaf(since 2022) |
| Other political affiliations | Union for the Republic(until 2022) |
| Residence | Nouakchott |
| Alma mater | |
| Cabinet | Ould Djay government(2024–present) |
Mokhtar Ould Djay (Arabic:المختار ولد أجاي; born 28 December 1973), also spelledMoctar Ould Diay orMokhtar Ould Diaye, is a Mauritanian politician serving as thePrime Minister of Mauritania since 2 August 2024.[1]
He previously served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Economy and Finance under the presidency ofMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and more recently as Head of the Office ofPresidentMohamed Ould Ghazouani.
Mokhtar Ould Djay was born on 28 December 1973 inMoudjéria,Tagant. He later moved toMagta Lahjar, in the wilaya ofBrakna, to complete primary and secondary studies in the town, obtaining abaccalauréat specialised in mathematics in 1992.[2]
He obtained abachelor's degree in Engineering from theNational Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics ofRabat,Morocco, in 1997.[2]
From 1998 to 2003, he was responsible for labour market data, involved in the national employment policy project funded by theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP). At the same time, between 2000 and 2002, he completed his higher education by obtaining amaster's degree in Statistics and Econometrics at theUniversity of Toulouse throughdistance education.[2]
From 2003 to 2008, he was responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the Education and Training project and was the Director of the Office of Specialised Studies in the field of Statistics and Economics.[2]
In 2003, he joined the Ministry of Education as an Advisor for Strategies, Monitoring and Evaluation. After seven years in this position, he was appointed Director General of Taxes in 2010.[2]
He became Minister of Finance in 2015 underYahya Ould Hademine, with his portfolio later extending to also cover the Ministry of Economics following a cabinet reshuffle.[2]
During its mandate, Mauritania experienced an economic shock related to the fall in commodity prices and in particular, the fall in the price of iron ore.[3] Two months before the end of his mandate, he concluded the agreement between the Mauritanian government and the Australian company BCM International, for the exploitation of mines belonging to theNational Industrial and Mining Society [fr] (SNIM) in the town ofF'Déirick.[4]
His name was considered in 2018 as a potential candidate to succeedMohamed Ould Abdel Aziz due to his close ties to the president,[5] howeverMohamed Ould Ghazouani became candidate instead. He was nominated by Ghazouani to become the Director of SNIM in September 2019,[6][1] holding the office until March 2021.[2]
He was appointed on 4 July 2023 as Head of the Office of the President of the Republic byMohamed Ould Ghazouani.[1]
He coordinatedEl Insaf's successful campaign for the2023 Mauritanian parliamentary,regional andlocal elections in the city ofNouakchott, in which the party secured control of all nine communes and the regional council, the first time a national ruling party managed to do so.[1][7]
Djay was appointed prime minister by Ghazouani on 2 August 2024 followingMohamed Ould Bilal's resignation and government reshuffle in the aftermath of the2024 Mauritanian presidential election.[1]
Ould Djay is married and a father of seven children. He speaks Arabic and French.[2]
| Colonial |  | |
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| Independent | ||
*acting †military | ||
