I am a Mauritian, the ID card in my pocket proves it. From a historical perspective I am just part of the latest wave of successive immigration since the Dutch first set foot on the island in 1598 sealing the fate of most of our native species and starting a chain of events that would lead to today’s unique and, in part, successful multicultural island. The truth is, however, despite my 10 years here, my Mauritian partner and children, I am, mainly though my own fault, an Insider outsider. My failure to even grasp the basics of Creole by my own admission is shameful. Yes, age is against me with the language acquisition part of my brain being long gone and being only six years younger than this independent nation, but it’s something I am trying to address. It is also true that my Englishness and 40 years in London is who I am and this won’t change. Teaching and my advocacy for education and sustainable development represent my way of contributing to our “ti zil”, but I guess I will always be an Insider Outsider and that’s OK.
In my last article titled “Education, Life and the Exponential Age”, I explored what is coming next for humanity and I concluded, perhaps with more questions than answers, to ask how Individuals, schools and businesses can navigate these changes to create and sustain life, health and wealth. Where will changes created by the exponential age leave Mauritius over the next ten years? The truth is I don’t fully know, but I see the risks.
“Bizou Losean Indien”
The Global Debt Crisis has left many countries significantly exceeding their Debt to GDP ratios by more than 100% (1). This signifies that governments will need to continue to debase their currencies in order that they can afford the interest payments on their national debt (2). This, and the end of cheap debt as global interest rates skyrocket will mean that the middle classes continue to get poorer and perhaps leading to fewer dream vacations or Honeymoons to our “Bizou Losean Indien”. Internally, this may mean fewer new cars, properties purchased and reduced demand for luxury goods or meals out. In truth most of us, even the more fortunate ones, are now paying closer attention to supermarket food prices.
Climate Change, rising sea levels and water stress will all certainly have impacts over the coming decade. 2023 was a warning shot, as we moved from near catastrophic drought to devastating flooding. If this becomes the new pattern will this further add pressure on our tourist industry? The COVID pandemic proved the need for food security and we all know our diets and health need to improve, and our heavy use of pesticide needs to be drastically reduced (3). Our excessive use of pesticides not only contributes to significant health issues, but is decimating micro-organisms in our lagoons leading to the collapse of the marine food chain. Lagoons devoid of life, bleached corals and unpredictable weather are on no tourists or investors bucket list.
Over the past 20 years, Mauritius has benefited from global outsourcing which itself is now under threat from AI. Multinationals may no longer outsource rules-based jobs to well-educated bi-lingual countries now they have the option to outsource the human element of the work entirely. These issues need to be considered and we need to position ourselves to turn risk into an advantage with a clear technology strategy covering AI, Block chain and ambitious solar energy generation and storage solutions.
Recently, I have worked with a number of companies to help them assess, address and incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (4) into their business planning. This is a good start for risk managing the future, as the goals address issues well beyond just environment and, if done correctly, can enhance the future sustainability and profitability of the business. In Mauritius government and policy makers have been talking more about sustainable development over the past few years within the economic growth context, but in truth most governments across the world are only just coming to terms with the Internet and are massively behind the curve when it comes to Climate Change adaptation, technological advances and the changing world economy and they risk being caught offside by the speed of change. The private sector is able to adapt faster and many of our big companies have visibly adopted the sustainable development narrative over the past few years into their business planning and risk management. Many Mauritian companies, as yet don’t face the intense ESG or CSR reporting requirements now demanded by stakeholders and shareholders in the US and Europe (5) but appear to be, at least in principle, orientating toward this direction.
Morisien dan enn fason inik
In my role as Insider outsider, what would I say to Ministers, CEOs and other leaders about how to plan and navigate the next decade and beyond? The reality is I don’t have all the answers, nobody does. Many of these issues will only be dealt with, or not, on a global stage. Having lead both Public and Private organisations through these issues I know the challenges, and they are daunting. In Mauritius however, we need to find a convening power, start with the areas we can control and take our easy wins. This starts with not losing sight of that which is Lokal and Morisien dan enn fason inik.
The progress of this Island is a great testament to those who came before, but modernity has often come at a cost: people seem unhappier, unhealthier and therefore as we move towards the future, we must not forget the soul of our island, its cultural sustainability, our unity and our internal wellbeing. We need continued development of our local art scene, cultural life and natural heritage, not just focus on new shopping malls and roads. Who wasn’t moved by seeing our capital city illuminated by night bustling with street vendors, as opposed to being closed at 6pm? Who doesn’t still, despite lack of time, appreciate the natural beauty we have left which we must fight to both preserve and enhance? Traditional Mauritian cuisine should hold its own against fast food and pay homage to local, healthy and safely homegrown products. We need to aspire to move from being one of the world’s unhealthiest nations to a vibrant and fit one, our Gross Domestic Happiness needs to go up (6). If we reduce the social pressures to look rich which is self-defeating and emotionally draining people may have more time to invest in themselves which can lead to real status through sense of purpose and fulfilment.
The small size of our Island provides an amazing opportunity for us to lead in many areas of sustainable development the ones we can control. If as a nation, we can convene around a shared goal we can create a clear sustainable niche for ourselves and our common future. For many of our comrades this journey into the future will start with putting their rubbish into the bin, because if people don’t value themselves enough to this, then the future is already lost.
References
(1) Debt to GDP Ratio by Country 2023 (worldpopulationreview.com)
(2) 3 Reasons Why Countries Devalue Their Currency (investopedia.com)
(3) Sustainable Development Goals | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)
(4) ESG Reporting – KPMG Global
(5) Leading countries in pesticide consumption per area | Statista
(6) Gross Domestic Happiness: Beyond Financial Welfare | Shortform Books
