Perspective : economic evolution over the next 50 years

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has on Tuesday officially launched the activities as part of the celebrations of the fiftieth year of our Independence. In recent days, there have been several activities showcasing the socio-economic evolution of Mauritius during the last five decades. But where do we see Mauritius in the next fifty years?

The country is in a festive mood. The kick-off of national celebrations to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of our independence was done on Tuesday. Various activities tracing our history were organized, especially by Le Defi Media Group, with an exhibition entitled ‘Moris Mo Pei’. Debates are also being held on our socio-economic progress so far. Indeed, Mauritius has witnessed five decades of continuous progress, and is today cited as an example.

In the early 1970s, there was a first post independence attempt to diversify our economic activities. The ‘Import Substitution Industries’ scheme encouraged local entrepreneurs to produce in Mauritius what we imported at the time. Thus, the country began to produce soap, toothpaste, soft drinks, paint, gloves and rubber boots.

The manufacturing sector experienced its era of glory in the 1980s, with the textiles segment employing, at its peak, nearly 80,000 people. Then came the expansion of tourism, financial services, offshore, sea food hub, real estate and of course, ICT/BPO in the early 2000s.

This decade sees the broadening of some sectors such as the ‘ocean economy’, the Fintech, biotechnology and renewable energies. For economist Arvind Nilmadhub, the next decade will further transform our economy, especially in terms of infrastructure. “With the consolidation of institutions, and the emergence of the Economic Development Board, aligned with the 2030 vision, I think we are on the right track.”

The economist argues, however, that if currently the country has to compete with Asian countries in many sectors, in the near future, competition will become insense among African states.

“With the awakening of Africa, the emergence of economic zones, and the closing of the digital divide, if we remain stagnant, others will exceed us. The human aspect is also very important in all future development. Because, with time, many activities will disappear and others will appear. For example, 30 years ago, there was a flourishing typist trade. Today it has vanished. So the training and reframing of the human aspect is very important.”

He adds that culture, history and art are other pillars of the economy that will grow steadily. “The older a society is, the more its history fascinates the world and the more it relates to the economy. I think that there is much work to be done by the Government because we are still not mature in these areas.”

Vikram Jeetah : “Only a vision is not enough”

Vikram Jeetah, a professional in the construction sector, sees the service sector dominating the Mauritian economy in the future. He foresees the disappearance of non-competitive sectors, such as manufacturing or even sugar cane, and a greater orientation towards the export of services.

“We cannot say we have a limited market. We are now evolving in a global environment and we are already citizens of the world. The Mauritius of tomorrow will be more outward looking,” says Vikram Jeetah.

The country will open its borders more and more to foreigners just as there are more Mauritians operating outside our boundaries. According to him, it is the quality of leadership that will shape development in the coming decades.

“It takes strong leadership, and a forum where citizens can contribute their ideas for a better Mauritius. If we continue to work with the same methods, then we will not go far in 50 years. The system needs to evolve.” He explains that the country is not optimising local brains, there is a lack of long-term planning and not enough thinking.

“Only a vision is not enough. We also need a plan, strategies, goals and the ability to implement, whilst innovating.”

Osman Mahomed : “I hope sustainable development is the leitmotiv of successive governments”

Osman Mahomed, the former Executive Chairman of the ‘Maurice Ile Durable Commission’, is among the 50 personalities who received an award from the Défi Media group, in recognition of his contribution to sustainable development. Now a Member of Parliament, he says that Mauritius has in the last 50 years made a quantum leap in terms of its development.

“I am happy to have made a contribution as testified by the award I have most humbly accepted last Saturday from the Le Défi Media Group for work I have done in the Environment sector, under the Maurice Ile Durable programme – the visionary sustainable development initiative of former Prime Minister, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, which was based on the triple bottom line of Environmental Stewardship, Social Progress and Economic Growth. I do hope that sustainable development will be the leitmotiv of successive governments to come given that we face so many challenges. If we do not do anything about it now, environmental degradation will be the first one,” states our ‘Monsieur Ile Durable’.

He adds that other challenges are the need to balance financial resources so as to meet the exigencies of our welfare state programme, which has served the country so well since it was initiated in the days of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.

“We now have a rapidly ageing population and on the other hand, many of our young citizens and not so young ones are falling into the quagmire of drug addiction and in and of itself, this is a major challenge”, he says.  Last but not least, he believes that competition from abroad in sectors on which our economy so heavily depends will require bold and courageous measures from successive governments to come as our economic survival will depend on these measures.

“I wish Mauritius a Happy 50th Anniversary and moving forward, I wish my country the very best ahead. Long live Mauritius”

Radhakrishna Sadien : “Long-term planning and thinking is crucial”

The president of the Government Servants Employees Association (GSEA) says he is very concerned about the degradation of our environment. Having been a keen observer of our economic evolution for years, and having contributed as a public official and trade unionist, we asked Radhakrishna Sadien how he sees our country evolving over the next fifty years.

The unionist explains that the country has already set its goal of becoming a high-income nation and the emphasis is on higher growth. But in the process, we tend to neglect many aspects.

“We want higher growth to improve our standard of living, but if we live in insecurity, or with the threats of social evils such as drugs, erosion of values, etc., then what is the use of this growth? According to him, the protection of the environment is reduced to slogans and symbolic actions, whereas there is a lot to do if we want sustainable development during the next 50 years.”

We are replacing farmland with concrete, and we will see its negative impact in the coming years, if nothing is done. We are now exposed to the effects of climate change.” Radhakrishna Sadien regrets the lack of long-term planning in Mauritius, with consultation with all parties concerned: politicians, trade unions, entrepreneurs, social workers, civil society.

For him, long-term planning is essential because it will chart the direction of the country, regardless of the government of the day. “Once the goals, strategies and plans are established, with the support of everyone, any government will have to follow that direction.”

He notes that we have become a consumer population, and there is competition among us, and individualism prevails. “Today, people join a political party not by vocation but by self-interest. The common interest of society is lacking.” He goes on to say that the country deserves a long-term deep reflection, that we must think in terms of ‘Mauritian’ in order to ensure remarkable progress for the next decades.

Prithviraj Fowdur : “Mauritius has all the ingredients to succeed further”

Economist and former government official, Prithviraj Fowdur believes that Mauritius, by its geographical position, its multiethnic and educated population and its natural beauty, has all the ingredients for more economic success.

“Our country does not have the complex problems of other countries. Here, peace reigns, it is easy to do business, there is no fear or risk. The country has undergone a phenomenal transformation during the last fifty years, and the transformation ahead will be bigger and faster.” He explains that today’s generations are smarter than the older ones, and generations to come will be even more so.

“What we have achieved in 50 years, future generations will succeed in less time.” Prithviraj Fowdur says that the service sector will dominate. Each generation will contribute its part. He also feels that the country must plan for the long term.