Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money, touring the world selling Mauritius as a business destination, which has however succeeded in only attracting investors in the real estate market, EDB could prove itself to be more useful by reactivating the “Ocean Economy “ project.
They design the policies sitting in government offices with the assistance of foreign experts but they never try things out ; it is all about policies that have never been implemented or put to the test and grounded in our local realities ; they have been through this, again and again, bluffing their way with vain promises of developing so-and-so pillars of growth or hubs (Biotechnological Hub, Petroleum Hub, Bunkering Hub, Financial Hub …) and adding a new hub or pillar every year- the latest being the Ocean Economy project that is gathering dust in one of many filing cabinets of some office that is usually reserved for clutters and piling up the many files of such neglected projects .
A WB study titled “The Ocean economy in Mauritius : making it happen, making it last “ had highlighted the overall potential of the Ocean Economy (OE) to contribute to Mauritius' development. “The Ocean economy boasts excellent fundamentals and will play a key role in various challenges on the sustainability of our economic development agenda, spearheading our diversification strategy and offers immediate convergence opportunities with advances in science and technology and mega trends.”
Economic activitity in the ocean is expanding rapidly. The ocean holds the promise of immense resource wealth( largely untapped in developing and SIDS) and great potential for boosting economic growth, employment and innovation. It is increasingly recognized as indispensable for addressing many of the global challenges facing the planet in the decades to come, from world food security and climate change to provision of energy, natural resources and improved medical care. While the potential of the ocean to help meet these challenges is huge, it is already under stress from overexploitation, pollution, declining biodiversity and climate change. (OECD report 2009)
In the coming decades, scientific and technological advances are expected to play a crucial role in addressing many ocean-related environmental challenges and in the development of ocean-based economic activities. Innovation in advanced materials, subsea engineering and technology, sensors and imaging, satellite technologies, computerization and big data analytics, autonomous systems, biotechnology and nanotechnology-every sector of the ocean economy stands to be affected by these technological advances. (OECD report 2030).
Our Fisheries sector is also poised to undergo major transformation in the wake of the blue economy initiative. Where are we with the blue economy project ?
In his interview in Le Defi of today, Kugan Parappen,economic consultant and ReA member, rightly points out the need of new growth poles like the Ocean Economy to spearhead our economic diversification strategy and enhance our economic resilience.
"Il est impératif que le plan de relance de l’économie mauricienne s'aligne avec les défis du futur et sinscrit dans une logique de création de nouveaux créneaux économiques. L’exemple le plus flagrant étant l’industrie thonière.
Voilà une industrie qui a un chiffre d’affaires de USD 8 milliards par an et l'économie mauricienne ne récolte que des miettes malgré le fait qu’elle possède un des stocks les plus importants de thons dans le monde. On parle souvent du pillage des ressources minières africaines par les entreprises des pays développés. Mous subissons le même sort par rapport à nos ressources marines sans que les autorités ne réagissent.”
