Africa with its vast natural resources will be a key partner and, is increasingly present, in driving the economic growth and development agenda in the world, stated the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, during his intervention, on Tuesday 14 February 2023, at the World Government Summit 2023 in Dubai.

The World Government Summit is being held in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 13 to 15 February 2023, under the theme “Shaping Future Governments”. The aim is to bring together world leaders, global experts and decision-makers to share and contribute to the development of policies and models that are essential in shaping future governments.

In his address, the President underlined that the African Continent is blessed with an abundance of solar energy as well as large stretches of fertile land and can become a game-changer to attenuate future crises on the continent as well as on the global front.

“Many African countries are rich in resources and are increasingly leveraging them to drive economic growth and development and this will further accentuate when the 54-country African Continental Free Trade Area is fully implemented,” he said.

Mauritius as a clean international financial center, he stated, is a hub and an international player for investors in search of security, stability, good governance and high value addition. He, therefore, welcomed financial investments and encouraged investors to use Mauritius as a platform to invest in Africa.

Speaking of climate change, he observed that natural disasters are now becoming real human tragedies and will be one of the main challenges of all governments. He, thus, called for concerted actions and bold and concrete measures to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.

The President also remarked that proper mechanisms should be designed so that vulnerable countries, especially Small Island Developing States, get access to technical and financial assistance in order to implement projects and programmes geared towards adaptation and mitigation.

President Roopun emphasised that the well-being and growth of the human element should continue to remain at the centre of the Summit’s focus post the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine crisis. In order to create the right ecosystem, Governments should concentrate on three main areas namely, inclusive economic growth; investments in people’s health and education; and insuring against risks that can plunge the most vulnerable into poverty, he indicated.

As regards the increasingly connected digitally world compounded with Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Blockchain and Crypto currencies, he mentioned that these technological progresses have also led to the emergence of trollers, hate speeches, cyber threats, and fake news.

The President, hence, urged for profound reflection from world leaders to chart out regulatory and legislative safeguards that need to be put in place for a smooth and seamless transition to these new emerging technologies.