Despite the visa ban on visitors at the Spanish Embassy in Mauritania, Canarian companies are resigned to the disconnection that senior officials want to apply to the islands. In the complex game of diplomacy and trade, sometimes the most significant moves occur far from the spotlight. Will there be a room of officials available for the Mauritanian Minister of Health at Gando Airport when he visits Gran Canaria in September 2025? The Canary Islands are not the southern border of the EU to take advantage of its potential; they are only for the dirty tricks.
While the governments of Spain and Mauritania sealed their High-Level Meeting (HLM) last July, a silent but strategic bridge was being built between the Canary Islands' healthcare sector and the African country. Led by Nayra Delgado, Proexca's head of economic diplomacy in Mauritania, a group of companies from the islands outlined an agenda to forge alliances, understanding that the future of cooperation lies not only in ministerial offices, but in the ability to reach out across key sectors.
Sitting at the table with the Mauritanian Minister of Health, Abdallahi Ould Wedih, were San Roque University Hospitals, already familiar with the terrain, and the telemedicine company Diagnóstica, one of the spearheads of innovation in the Canary Islands. They weren't just here to sell a service, but to offer a plan. They presented a diagnosis of the Mauritanian healthcare sector, outlined areas of intervention where Canarian know-how could be vital, and, with a long-range vision, proposed an ambitious Horizon Europe project to bring healthcare to the most forgotten corners of the country, to those rural areas where resources are scarce.
The trip was not limited to words. In a tangible act of commitment, two crucial agreements were signed that solidify this relationship. On the one hand, Globalsanihub, the consortium of healthcare companies in the Canary Islands, joined the National Health Federation of Mauritania, a pact that opens the door to sustained collaboration. On the other hand, the director of San Roque University Hospitals and the director of the Medipole Polyclinic in Nouakchott agreed to work together in vital fields such as training, telemedicine, and medical evacuations, a trio of actions that could change the quality of life for thousands of Mauritanians.
The visit, far from being an end, was the beginning of a journey. The completion of this first stage is preparation for the next, as a Mauritanian delegation, led by its Minister of Health, will travel to the islands in September. The idea is for them to meet firsthand with the healthcare professionals of the archipelago, the place where cooperation began. This joint effort is a reminder that the Canary Islands, with their strategic position, are destined to be a hub of knowledge and innovation, a bridge connecting Europe's present with Africa's opportunities.
