The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, met with representatives of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and of Women’s Associations yesterday, in Port Louis, in the context of pre-budget consultative meetings for Budget 2023-2024.

The meeting served as a platform for representatives of the Government and different stakeholders to display a shared vision so as to achieve greater economic growth. Discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the Mauritian economy and on finding concrete solutions to address loopholes affecting business activity as well as women empowerment.

Participants comprised representatives from, namely: the National Women’s Council; the Breast Cancer Care Association; Gender Links; SOS Femmes; Mauritius Family Planning and Welfare Association; Manufacturing Jewellers Association; Association of Small Contractors; SME Mauritius Ltd and; Association of Leather and Leather-related products, amongst others.
In a statement after the meeting, Dr Padayachy highlighted that the aim of these consultative meetings is to initiate a dialogue between stakeholders and the Government in order to ensure better planning of the forthcoming budget to be presented.

According to him, the meetings held today were fruitful and positive, and the Minister expressed hope that the propositions will help to further improve and consolidate the different sectors. “Through these meetings, the suggestions and opinions of the population itself are heard as they are being represented by different stakeholders,” he added.

As regards the Budget 2023-2024, the Finance Minister underlined that it is a budget that requires much planning now that the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us and the economy is recovering rapidly. “The indications are positive and we must continue to work on them in order to bring forward a budget that will bring a developmental impetus to the country and for the population,” he said.

Furthermore, he recalled that the previous budget 2022-2023 catered for allowances to relieve the population from inflation and to enhance the quality of life of the people. This year, the Finance Minister stressed, the budget will focus on measures that will relieve the vast majority of workers and as such, contribute to building the economy by getting everyone on board.