Republic of Mauritius- Mauritius to promote silver and sports economies and boost new sectors

The press conference, which focused on ways of consolidating existing industries and bolstering new sectors with a view to give an impetus to the Mauritian economy, was held in presence of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr François Guibert, the Chairman of the EDB, Mr Charles Cartier, and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ken Poonoosamy.

Mr Cartier spoke of promoting the silver economy as a new cluster of activity which will generate jobs and contribute to the national growth of the country. It includes all the economic activities relevant to the needs of older adults, and the impact on many sectors namely, health and nutrition, leisure and wellbeing, finance and transport, housing, education and employment. He recalled that currently there are some 669 foreign retirees in Mauritius and the objective is to reach around 5 000 and some 20 000 in 10 years.

He also pointed out that the Budget makes provision for developing a vibrant sports economy. On this score, he stated that the establishment of a Sports Economic Commission at EDB, the creation of an International Football Academy, the construction of tracks and trails, and the implementation of sport tech incubator will contribute in transforming the sports sector into a fully fledged industry. The promotion of an innovation and education hub which will attract and retain talents in the country was also addressed by Mr Cartier.

As for Mr Guibert, he spoke of the revitalisation of the manufacturing sector with its orientation towards technology and more job creations. He also indicated that with the new category of enterprises, namely the mid-market enterprise, the Small and Medium Enterprise sector will gain considerable growth.

According to Mr Poonoosamy, the measures announced in the Budget 2019-2020 will help to consolidate the tourism sector. The diversification of the industry in projects such as marina, theme parks, holding of conferences and exhibitions in the country will further boost this sector to new heights.  To this end, he pointed out that a rise of 2.5% in tourist arrivals is expected by December 2019.