INVESTIR À MAURICE
des terres et des ressources.
Je souhaite que dans dix ans, les touristes viennent à Maurice
parce que c’est l’une des destinations les plus propres et les plus
écologiques au monde.
Qu’aimeriez-vous dire à un investisseur qui souhaite
s’installer à Maurice ?
Que ce soit à Dubaï ou à Singapour, la majorité de la
population est étrangère. Or, nous avons pris une terre qui
n’était pas habitée avant, une terre qui appartient à tout
le monde. Maurice peut donc devenir un pays hôte pour
les étrangers. On ne pourra jamais atteindre des taux de
croissance fabuleux sans accepter l’intégration dans notre pays
de connaissances et de savoir-faire étrangers. C’est le vrai message.
En 1983, alors ministre des Finances, vous avez été l’artisan
du décollage économique. Trente-deux ans après, un second
miracle est-il possible ?
Je ne peux prévoir un événement imprévisible, comme
l’écroulement financier international par exemple. Ensuite, il est
clair que nous ne sommes pas encore sortis de la crise de 2008,
et que nous sommes encore plus empêtrés dans la dette. Ce sont
des épées de Damoclès.
Mais nous avons élaboré une nouvelle stratégie de développement
qui va nous permettre de devenir une grande puissance régionale.
Pour un petit pays, c’est une grande ambition, mais on peut
le faire.
Maurice, dites-vous, a le génie nécessaire pour surmonter la
crise économique. De quel génie parlez-vous ?
Le génie mauricien est sa capacité à apprendre et s’adapter.
Notre pays foisonne d’investisseurs potentiels disposés à prendre
des risques et à investir, à créer de l’emploi et apporter
le développement.
The Minister of Finance, Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, has an
ambitious dream: to fullfil the destiny of Mauritius of becoming
the star and key of the Indian Ocean by allowing it to become the
equivalent of Singapore and Dubai for the African continent.
The Government has presented its vision for 2030, hasn’t it? In
a few words, could you provide a little insight?
As a country, we have formed part of the lower-middle income
countries for some twenty years now, a nd we still haven’t been
able to get a sufficient growth rate to move up a gear. And
as long as the latter remains around 3%, we won’t be able to
take off. However, if we want to get to the next level, we need
to reinvent our entire economic strategy by identifying new
sectors that will propel Mauritius forward into the highincome countries category.
We are at THE crossroads. Either we continue to stagnate, or
we engage ourselves to embark on the path of rapid economic
development through innovation. Mauritius is no longer a
tiny rock in the middle of the ocean. It controls an exclusive
economic zone of 2.3 million km2! It is not a far-fetched
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LUXURY MAURITIUS
dream but an obtainable reality: become the foremost regional
power. We can do it because nature has blessed us!
Is the construction of a fishing port the first stepping-stone
towards this dream?
A fishing port capable of harbouring 20 fishing vessels
permanently will be built at Bain-des-Dames in two years’ time.
This project has been finalised with the Chinese, who are investing
the totality of the funds required. In early 2016, the construction
of the harbour shall begin, including everything that comes with
it: cold storage and sea product processing facilities for export.
Fishing will become one of the main sectors of the economy in
the coming decade.
Well, until there are no fish left!
I’m a strong advocate of environmental protection; I make it a sine
qua non condition for all development projects. A project that
represents a threat to the environment is automatically rejected,
even if it can bring wealth to the country. There is no point in
being a wealthy nation on the material plane if the environment
and the community are suffering. It is, therefore, primordial to
adopt a holistic approach, that is, say yes to economic growth, but
no if it leads to a reduction in quality of life.
The aim is therefore to make Port-Louis an important regional
port…
This new maritime zone will extend from Grand River North
West to Tombeau Bay, stretching over a distance of 8 km. There
will be a marina and terminal for cruise ships and pleasure crafts,
a fishing port, a free port and a hub for bunkering activities, that
is, the supply of petroleum products. Of the 30 000 vessels that
are travelling each year in the region, we believe we can reach a
minimum of 5 to 6000 within 6 years. They all need to be topped
up with petroleum products but also with food supplies. We
have almost finalised discussions with Dubai Port World, one of
the biggest port management bodies in the world, and work is
expected to start in the first half of 2016. In fact, our strategy is to
make Mauritius become for Africa, what Singapore is for South
East Asia and Dubai for the Middle East. Did you know that the
maritime trade in the region represents more than 3 billion dollars
annually, that is huge! As long as Africa was dormant, the port was
also inert. It is the rise of Africa that makes Mauritius regain its
historical importance, that is, being the star and key of the Indian
Ocean. And for this to happen, we need to have the most modern
maritime port of the entire region.
How will Mauritius benefit from an economic cooperation with
Africa?
Africa has become indispensable. When Africa awakes, Mauritius
shall also awake on the African front. Up to now, Africans have
had an ambiguous position vis-à-vis Mauritians. What is currently
happening is new: it is the African countries themselves asking us
to invest in their respective countries.
Why is that?
They now view Mauritius as the new regional power. In fact,