The People’s Gold… and the Missing Transparency
The People’s Gold… and the Missing Transparency
Who Guarantees the Rights of the Working Poor?
By: Mohamed Abdarahman
Abdallah, journaliste
Nouakchott
Published by: Al-Ittihad – 5 hours ago
Who owns the “Unified Gold Window”?
In the name of God, we raise today a question whispered by gold prospectors in secret and avoided by official entities in public: Who is the real owner of the company that buys gold under the name of the so-called “Unified Window”?
In a country rich in natural resources but poor in fair distribution, transparency in the mining sector is a fundamental condition for any sound governance. Yet this principle seems to have been bypassed—if not outright ignored—in the handling of the “Unified Window” file, which was allegedly created to regulate the gold buying process from prospectors. Today, it is surrounded by questions too large to overlook.
Ominous Lack of Disclosure
In any functioning legal system, the actual ownership of companies operating in the mining sector is considered public information—not a trade secret. This is not only a matter of transparency, but also a safeguard against corruption, conflicts of interest, and money laundering.
However, the “Unified Window” has been operating for some time now without any clear indication of who actually owns or manages it. No public data, no accessible records, not even official statements to clarify the ownership or administration of this entity that controls the fate of gold extracted through the sweat and toil of thousands of Mauritanian miners.
So are we looking at a legally unidentified company? Or an economic front concealing the interests of powerful figures?
And if it is all aboveboard, then why all this secrecy?
Wealth Managed in the Shadows
When the buying of gold is monopolized by a single entity—without real competition and without disclosure of the actual beneficiaries—we face a dual threat: an unregulated economic dominance and opaque financial flows that open wide the door to money laundering or manipulation of purchase prices.
And because gold is a strategic commodity, the lack of governance in this area does not only impact the economy—it erodes public trust in the state and fuels social unrest among those who see their wealth plundered in the name of regulation and legality.
Legitimate Questions Awaiting Answers
Who truly owns the “Unified Window”?
What were the criteria for granting it this monopoly?
Where does the law stand regarding this ambiguous structure?
Does the company comply with disclosure requirements under national law?
Are its operations subject to financial audits?
What share of the profits goes to the state? And what share reaches the ordinary citizen?
These are not populist questions—they are essential to any serious conversation about combating corruption and restoring public confidence in institutions.
A Call for Accountability
Given all that’s happening, the call remains open to oversight authorities, parliamentary bodies, and serious media outlets to fulfill their responsibilities.
If the slogan of the era is “good governance,” then the first condition is to know:
Who profits from the people’s gold?
And who manages this wealth in the name of the law without ever being held accountable by the law?
