Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon, Good evening and Good morning to those on the other side of the globe.

Introduction

It is with great en-thu-siasm that I wish to share my perspectives on this subject matter of utmost importance for the future of our global economy.

As we would all reckon, in this new era of high uncertainty, world economies are actively looking for sustainable solutions to socio-economic challenges through the adoption of technology across all spheres.

In that pursuit for enhanced economic performance and excellence, Mauritius has relentlessly endeavoured to embrace the latest technologies and their applications to the local context, through diverse initiatives over the past decades. These accomplishments have put our country on the world map of global Innovation and Technology and has made us a reference and a leading player in the world.

With this in mind, we are constantly investing in new strategies to take the ICT sector to even new heights.

Today, given the rate at which our resources are depleting (raw materials, non-renewable energy sources, agricultural resources, etc.), there is a need for us all to rethink our conventional way of doing things, and operate optimally and most efficiently.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the situation both by causing an alarming death toll and curving down the world economic activities in general.

COVID-19 as a catalyser for digitalisation

Dear Friends,  

We are standing at a time where we need the most creative out-of-the-box thinkers, the most inventive agents of change; people with ambition and big ideas to help us disrupt, transform and solve big challenges of our time. 

Indeed, the pandemic storming over the world is a stark reminder of the crucial role played by innovative and emerging technologies to ride out the disruption caused in key areas such as education, commerce, health sectors, entertainment, just to mention a few.

COVID-19 also showed us that an intelligent use of digital technologies can prolong the activities of key sectors even in situation of lockdown while mitigating the effect of the pandemic itself. Work-From-Home, Online Learning, Virtual Meetings, Online Trading, Cashless Transactions have since become the new buzzwords across borders.

In this new normal spirit, connectivity, online collaboration, digital services and emerging technologies are the lifeblood of today’s business.

Connectivity – the underlying technology

At the base of a sound digital ecosystem is a good connectivity both at local and international level. Operators of submarine cables, local fibre and wireless networks together with policy makers hold the potential to collaborate to bring in affordable services and leave no region unserved in connectivity.

The advent of 5G wireless technologies has further broadened the possibilities of digital services provisioning. Its inherent low latency as compared to the previous 3G/4G technologies qualifies for mission critical applications like remote surgery and autonomous driving for which very high upload and download speeds are required. This makes 5G very convenient for sectors like health, transportation as well as education and entertainment.

This technology is spreading rapidly across the world. The launch of 5G services in Mauritius this year, has been an important landmark and milestone in the development of the vision of this Government to digitalize our economy.

We are not the first in adopting it, but in Africa but we might stand to benefit the most. 

Today Mauritius is connected to three submarine cables, the SAFE (South Africa Far East), the LION/LION2 (Lower Indian Ocean Network) and the METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System). A fourth submarine cable, which will be Mauritius Telecom’s third cable, is on the way and is expected to be operational in the horizon 2022-2023.

Fibre connectivity across the island,Fibre-To-The-Homehas been deployed to every doorstep since end of 2017 by Mauritius Telecom, which means that fibre coverage has already reached 100%. As for Mobile connectivity, the figure for coverage stands at almost 100%.

Emerging technologies

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Economic sectors further seek to achieve better through the adoption of new and emerging technologies. Fablab proto-typing and production, self-driven car, drone technology, tele-medicine, virtual labs, IoT enabled monitoring of critical systems, crop yield monitoring, to name a few, have made their way in today’s business ecosystem. Whereas such technologies have proved to be very effective in some countries, they are yet to be employed in others owing to numerous inherent challenges.

Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council

Over here in Mauritius, the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council Act 2021 has been introduced since June 2021. The Act provides for the creation of the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council whose mandate is to explore and resolve difficulties encountered by businesses while at the same time support projects using new and emerging technologies to develop a sustainable economy.

One of the main functions of the Council is to address the shortcomings in existing legislations with regard to new and emerging technologies. It also has a determinant role in reviewing courses in our curriculum to adapt to the contemporary industry demand.

As the former President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln said, and I quote:

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Unquote

Skilled resources and digital literacy

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Skills and competencies stand out as the key enablers for a strong digital ecosystem. Not all countries are capable of identifying the necessary resources to set up the required infrastructure and develop the necessary digital services to keep pace with the evolving world.

Furthermore, to foster a high take up of those services by citizens, there is a need to address all the gaps in digital literacy and STEM education. The role of policy makers is to ensure that all users, including women, girls, persons with disabilities and specific needs, are taken on board.

ITU capacity building programmes and activities will definitely play an important role in education, digital literacy, training and skills development in ICTs to foster sustainable development and digital empowerment, and inclusion for all.

Regulatory framework

The trustworthiness of a digital ecosystem resides in the mechanisms that have to be put in place to safeguard the various operations being carried out in the environment. As technology evolves so do the accompanying threats.

In today’s cyber world, these threats occur both within and across borders. In this regard, international forums (fora) like this one are required to formulate appropriate legal frameworks to address contemporary cyber threats and malpractices in the sphere of ICT.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Putting in place the required infrastructure and services based on new and emerging technologies will not be done without taking up difficult challenges. Capacity building, digital literacy, competition, technical and trade barriers, you name it. Multi-stakeholder forum like this one is the right platform where we can join forces to address issues that come across our way.

On this note, I would like to thank the organisers for giving us the opportunity to bring our ideas together and make the most of our discussions.

And as Isaac Newton, one of the greatest mathematicians and physicist said:

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”

Thank you for your attention.