Mauritania has signed a landmark $300 million Independent Power Producer (IPP) agreement with Iwa Green Energy to develop a 60-megawatt hybrid solar-wind power plant, marking the country’s first private-sector-led renewable energy project. Under President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani’s energy transition plan, the country has set ambitious targets of universal electricity access and 70 percent renewable generation by 2030. The project is one of the first to be developed under the Desert to Power initiative’s Independent Power Producer Joint Protocol, a framework spearheaded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to attract private capital into renewable energy projects across 11 Sahel countries through standardized investment terms. Energy Minister Mohamed Ould Khaled emphasized that the fully private financing model allows Mauritania to expand its energy supply without increasing public debt. Daniel Schroth, AfDB’s Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, hailed the deal as a milestone: “This project will contribute to the goals of the Desert to Power Initiative and Mauritania’s Mission 300 Energy Compact.