The Indian Embassy in Nouakchott Celebrated ITEC Day at its Premises
On 26 November, 2025, the Indian Embassy in Nouakchott celebrated the annual Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC Programme) Day at its premises. The event was attended by a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, a representative from the Journalists’ Union, and an elite group from civil society, as well as professionals who benefited from the program in the past years.
His Excellency the Indian Ambassador, Mr. Naresh Kumar, delivered a speech on this occasion, welcoming the attendees and stating:
“Peace be upon you, Namaste, and Bonsoir to everyone.”
As you know, every year we celebrate ITEC Day with alumni of the program and our friends who have participated in various training programs under the framework of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program.
The ITEC program is the main platform for capacity building managed by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Established in 1964, it is one of the oldest institutional arrangements for international cooperation in the field of capacity building. The program draws from India’s vast and rich expertise in governance and development, which is available at premier educational institutions and training facilities for both civilians and military personnel.
Since 2014-2015, India has provided more than 2,500 training courses, training over 225,000 professionals in 120 leading institutions. Additionally, more than 190,000 IT professionals have been trained through the Centre for IT Education (CEIT), and over 12,000 scholarships are awarded annually. From Mauritania, 42 government officials, including six women, have participated in the training programs in India. We are delighted that some of these participants are with us this evening.
It is worth noting that even during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated disruptions, the ITEC program continued its commitment to sharing India’s development experiences with the world, providing online training in healthcare and governance to nearly 10,000 professionals through digital platforms.
On this occasion, I would like to quote the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi:
“India has always played a constructive role on the global stage. Our development assistance model is not based on ‘give and take’ but is guided by the developmental needs of partner countries. Our focus has always been on capacity building and resource development. We strive for collective action in all forums of our developmental partnerships.”
In addition to regular calendar-based training programs, India also responds to specific requests from partner countries by organizing customized training programs tailored and delivered by leading Indian institutions in English and other important foreign languages.
Today, the ITEC initiative employs a variety of approaches to achieve its goal of capacity building. While we have resumed in-person (on-campus) courses, we have also introduced new methods, such as:
– eITEC (online training using digital platforms),
– ITEC-Executive (short-term policy-focused training for senior government officials),
– ITEC-Onsite and ITEC-Expert (on-site capacity-building missions carried out by India). Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jaideep, Counsellor (HOC) and Education Officer in the Embassy highlighted the spirit of ITEC programme and said “Since its inception on 15 September 1964, more than 200,000 friends from over 160 partner countries have walked through the doors of India’s finest institutions, carrying back not just skills and expertise, but lifelong bonds of friendship and solidarity. Today, as we mark this special day, we renew our pledge to continue this noble journey of capacity-building, technology transfer, and people-to-people connectivity – rooted in India’s ancient philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam that mean, the world is one family. In this spirit, let us celebrate the success stories, the transformed lives, and the stronger bilateral ties that ITEC has nurtured, and look forward to an even brighter future of partnership and progress between India and Mauritania.” The event concluded with serving of Indian food to participants.
