Mauritania – Circumventing Restrictive Practices
Setting
In the early 1980’s Mauritania was one of the poorest countries in the world, even today it is ranked a lowly 155th in the UN Human Development Index. The Dutch government decided to assist Mauritania with the provision of 20 grain warehouses (not silo’s) distributed over three locations to store and distribute the grain donated by countries worldwide. This project with a value of some € 3,500,000 in 1980’s currency, was far too small for the usual construction companies to take up and it thus befell on a new-comer, a company that hired me, straight from Business School, to run the project.
Challenge
It was very apparent that everything, apart from sand and shells for the concrete, would have to be brought in, as well as that the construction, while robust, had to be simple and fast. As such we decided on a simple concrete foundation on which a steel skeleton would be build that in its turn would be filled up with locally made hollow concrete bricks.
One tiny aspect had been overlooked though: since Mauritania did not have a running harbour, the several meter tall steel beams would have to be transported from the nearest harbour (Dakar, Senegal) to Mauritania, however:
- Mauritanian trucks were not allowed to enter Senegal
- Senegalese trucks were not allowed to enter Mauritania
- The border between the two countries is the Senegal river with a simple ferry plying between the two countries, neither side had any handling equipment to load and unload any goods
Solution
Having tried and failed to get any support from the Mauritanian government, I turned to the Dutch one in the shape of its ambassador in Dakar (also responsible for Mauritania). I was in luck, the ambassador was coming to Mauritania for a short reception (from 17:00-19:00hrs). Unfortunately, this wasn’t that good an idea as everybody who was anybody in Mauritania at that time also wanted a word with him and it was obvious that I needed more than just one word. I did get hold of the third secretary however and asked him whether the ambassador had already arranged his dinner, while at the same time implying that the food in his hotel wasn’t exactly what he would be used to. It was soon decided that the ambassador would join me at my house for dinner: an exception was made and Senegalese trucks were allowed, for this once, to enter Mauritania.
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