Mauritius solicited to host World Islamic Economic Forum in 2018

Mauritius is being solicited to serve as host country for the 14th edition of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in 2018 and become the first African country to accommodate such event. In this context a delegation from the WIEF headed by its Chairman and former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Musa Hitam, has come to Mauritius. 

A delegation of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) was in Mauritius and paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, on Monday morning at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. The aim was to seek approval from the Mauritian authorities for the organisation of the Forum in Mauritius.

Following the courtesy call, the Chairman of WIEF expressed his satisfaction regarding the meeting with Prime Minister Jugnauth, which he said was very cordial and fruitful in light of the positive response regarding the WIEF to be held in Mauritius in 2018. According to Tun Musa Hitam, WIEF has been encouraged to use Mauritius as platform for the World Islamic Economic Forum which will be an ideal opportunity to bring together the business community worldwide to discuss and tap the various business possibilities in Mauritius, including the African continent. 

“WIEF is a purely business oriented organisation, irrespective of any religion implication. It is from bottom up. It represents the lowest level of the business community. There are no such things that only Muslims must attend but all those who are interested in business and good governance can attend. The respond of the conference has been very interesting around the world,” he revealed. 

When asked why they choose Mauritius, he replied “small countries have always been my interest. I always think of the small countries. Small countries have got the capacity. We want to fill in the gap as opportunities are present in small countries.”        

For the 2018 conference, issues and themes discussed will reflect the interest of Mauritius as highlighted by the Chairman. “It is the host country that decides the topic or themes preferred. Mauritius’s priority has been well explained to me. Before the final programme is released, there will be discussions with different stakeholders.”  

There will be various activities during the forum in the interest of the youth, women and education oriented. There will be also cultural activities reflecting the different cultures of the world. 

Tun Musa Hitam extends an invitation to Pravind Jugnauth to the upcoming 13th WIEF to be held in Malaysia from 21st to 23rd November. “As per the tradition, at the end of the forum, the Mauritian Prime Minister will announce Mauritius as the next destination for the 14th Forum. This will encourage the business community to participate in the forum.” 

The WIEF Foundation

Launched in 2005, the World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which organises the annual World Islamic Economic Forum. It is the largest international gathering of Heads of Government, economic experts, academia, international organisations and stakeholders to share experiences and knowledge about Islamic economy.

The WIEF Foundation seeks to stimulate growth and prosperity for the Muslim population, through trade, investment opportunities and business strategies. Its strategy is, “Building Bridges Through Business”. In this respect, it recognises the need to interact with non-Muslim partners and enlarge the scope of its dialogue and network beyond the Muslim world towards secular actors.

Its main selling point is its ethos of utilising business partnerships, whether at private-to-private level or public-private partnership level, to strengthen the economic clout of the Muslim population whilst contributing to ‘international collaboration’.