African Solidarity Fund holds its Assembly in Mauritius - Vidur Ramdin: “Mauritius, a small island with big destiny!”

Vidur Ramdin, a Mauritian national is currently working as Director of Communications and Marketing at the African Solidarity Fund (ASF). The ASF has chosen Mauritius as the venue to hold its next ‘Conseil d’Administration’. Vidur Ramdin rejoices at the fact that the ASF is in Mauritius after 38 years.

What is the ‘Conseil d’Administration’ about?
The ‘Conseil d’Administration’ is one of the key units of the African Solidarity Fund. Its functions are to manage and control the organisation.

Mauritius has benefited from numerous interventions of the ASF, for example in 1981 for the construction of the sugar terminal in Port Louis, and also in 2002 for the construction of nearly 1,000 housing units by the National Housing Development Company.

Why did the ASF wait for 38 years before holding its CA in Mauritius?
This is because the idea was not to limit the event to the city where the ASF is located, i.e Niamey, but to give the opportunity to all member states to host the event in various cities on the African continent. Mauritius now has the opportunity to welcome the CA.

Who are the member states of the ASF?
The African Solidarity Fund has 14 member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tchad and Togo.

What are the products and services offered by the ASF?
The ASF offers economic development actors a range of diversified products and services, adapted to their needs, and they are very competitive, namely financial guarantee, refinancing for loan duration extension, interest rate bonification, financial brokerage and funds management.

Has Mauritius ever benefited from the services of the ASF since its creation?
Yes, Mauritius has benefited from numerous interventions of the ASF, for example in 1981 for the construction of the sugar terminal in Port Louis, and also in 2002 for the construction of nearly 1,000 housing units by the National Housing Development Company.

In view of the ‘Conseil d’Administration’, will there be other events planned in Mauritius?
Yes, other than the hosting of the ‘Conseil’ in Mauritius, there will also be three ceremonies of signature of MoU between the ASF and the Mauritius Africa Fund Ltd (MAF), the Maubank Ltd and the SBM Holding Ltd (SBM).  Secondly, some high level meetings are also planned between the ASF and the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Development Bank of Mauritius and the SMEDA. Thirdly, the ASF delegation will pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

The ASF offers economic development actors a range of diversified products and services, adapted to their needs, and they are very competitive...

Will the CA to be held in Mauritius be different from other CAs held before?
Indeed, the CA to be held in Mauritius will be different in the sense that, for the first time, the notion of cochairmanship is being introduced during this session. The CA in Mauritius will be co-chaired by the current Chairman in office who is the Administrator for Senegal and the Administrator for Mauritius.

Having worked for the ASF for quite some time now, how do you see the organisation?
With net benefits of nearly 3.1 billion FCFA in 2016, the ASF has demonstrated that, together with member states as partners, the institution is robust and innovative, occupying a leading position in the field and is also very dynamic.