Technopole North: New opportunities for local technopreneurs

After Rose Belle, a new technopole centre is to be erected at Rivière du Rempart with the aim to empower local entrepreneurs. The innovative centre is the fruit of the collaboration between Business Parks of Mauritius Ltd (BPML) and Oxford Innovation. The project will require investments of around Rs 41 million and is expected to be ready in around four months. Designed in collaboration with Oxford Innovation – the UK’s leading operator in Innovation Centres – the project aims to provide new opportunities for entrepreneurs. According to the CEO of BPML, Koomaren Chetty, Rs 41 million have been invested in the project so far. “We chose Riviere du Rempart because we believe that it is strategically positioned in the north of the country to create job opportunities”, he says. This new pole of economic activity will bring new opportunities for value-added growth in the northern region, especially for unemployed young people. “The technopole aims to fill the mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market and create jobs especially for young graduates,” he says. According to him, a platform is important for the development of entrepreneurship in Mauritius. “The technopole will provide free advice and appropriate assistance to entrepreneurs. This is why we have decided to solicit the expertise of Oxford Innovation for this project. This institution has so far assisted over 9,000 companies and 900 start-ups,” he adds. The innovation centre (Technopole North) is expected to create links between academia, businesses, Oxford Innovation and the general public. The centre will be open to all entrepreneurs wishing to operate in areas such as science, technology, engineering and art. The building, says Koomaren Chetty, is on an area of about 100 square metres. “We are undertaking renovation works to the tune of Rs 41 million. The launch is scheduled in four months,” he says. Etienne Sinatambou, the Minister of technology, communication and innovation points out that the technopole initiative is in line with the Prime Minister’s Vision 2030 economic blueprint. “Today, the ICT sector contributes around 7.5% to the country’s GDP. To increase this figure, we need to explore new niche markets. And through the setting up of technopoles, we can bring about an increase in this sector’s contribution to the economy,” he states. The development of technopole parks forms part of the government’s vision as stated in the 2015-2016 Budget and the Economic Mission Statement. The construction of five technopoles were announced in the last Budget, namely: Highlands, Rose-Belle, Bambous, Flacq, and Rivière du Rempart.

Third fibre optic cable project

The implementation of the third submarine fibre optic cable, according to Minister Etienne Sinatambou, is essential for the development of the ICT sector. “We have already launched an expression of interest for the cable connection from Mauritius and Rodrigues to the rest of the world. In this context, 11 potential investors have already been identified.” The project would cost between Rs 5 billion and Rs 6 billion. Oxford Innovation In order to enable the successful implementation of the project at Rivière du Rempart, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Oxford Innovation in February 2016. The innovation centre will have linkages with Oxford Innovation’s network. It will be built on an ecological, sustainable and continued service model. It is proven worldwide that openness to change and innovation is a key engine for growth. The collaboration with Oxford Innovation will identify avenues to build on the experience of our local companies to further develop the Innovation Centre at Rivière du Rempart. Through this tie-up, BPML looks forward to inspiring and transforming local ‘tech talents’ into technopreneurs and bring out around ten viable businesses every year from such initiatives. The MOU opens up more direct opportunities for collaboration with locals (individuals and enterprises) in different sectors such as transport, education, environment, e-government and healthcare. BPML plans to open four innovation centres to bring such opportunities to Mauritian companies to provide solutions for wide-ranging sectors. The agreement also covers mutual sharing of ideas and solutions, as well as nurturing networks of expertise through the organisation of events, forums, business-matching events and networking sessions for entrepreneurs and start-ups.