1. Cabinet has taken note that the US has selected Mauritius to host the AGOA Economic Forum scheduled for December 2002 and that the Secretary of State
Colin Powell, US Department of State, will visit Mauritius on that occasion. Cabinet has decided to set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of the Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service to organise the holding of the Forum and the visit of the Secretary of State Colin Powell. It has also been decided that the local private sector will be fully involved in the organisation of the event.
2. Cabinet has taken note that the World Bank has approved the Public Expenditure Reform Loan (PERL) of US Dollars 40 million to Mauritius under the Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy. The loan will be followed by two other instalments of US $40 m each in the following two years.
According to information received, the Executive Directors of the Bank were very complimentary about the tract record of Mauritius and our Economic Agenda for the New Millenium. Discussions on the loan lasted for less than 30 minutes, probably among the fastest in the Bank’s history, signifying the confidence that the World Bank has in our economic management and our Economic Agenda.
3. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the tripartite meeting on Salary Compensation held on 8 May under the chairmanship of the Minister of Economic Development, Financial Services and Corporate Affairs. Cabinet further noted that the second round of negotiations would be held on Thursday 16 May and the final proposal on the quantum of salary compensation to be paid, would be submitted to Cabinet on
17 May.
4. Cabinet has taken note of the family circumstances of Mr Francis Allas, one of the fishermen who had gone adrift and rescued by the French Navy vessel, and has delegated the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity & Senior Citizen Welfare and Reform Institutions and the Minister of Fisheries to look into his family situation and report. Cabinet was also grateful to the French Government for the rescue of and medical assistance provided to the two fishermen.
5. Cabinet has agreed to the establishment of an Urdu Speaking Union with a view to inter alia further promoting the linguistic development among all people having an interest in Urdu with special emphasis on the method, artistic, economic and social perspectives.
6. Cabinet has reviewed the chaotic operation of ferry between Mauritius and Reunion Island and has agreed to initiate measures to protect passengers travelling by such ferries.
7. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the meeting which the Acting Prime Minister and the Minister of Youth and Sports had with the ad hoc Management Committee of the MFA and the Presidents of Football Clubs.
8. Cabinet has agreed to upgrade and renovate sports complexes, including the Georges V Stadium, in the context of the organisation of the Indian Ocean Islands Games in Mauritius in 2003.
9. Cabinet has taken note of the participation of Mauritius in the Global Information Clearinghouse Project which has been designed to bridge the gap between Governments and investors and aims at setting up a portal to provide developing countries a platform to make available quantitative and qualitative information on business and investment opportunities in their respective countries. The Joint Economic Council and the Board of Investment will co-ordinate the project.
10. Cabinet has taken note of the political situation in Madagascar and Comoros.
11. Cabinet has taken note that the rate of road accidents over the years has been quite high compared to developed countries and that non-compliance to safety regulations and traffic codes, as well as an absence of good road behaviour, are the main contributing factors of such accidents. With a view to enhancing road safety, Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping amending the Road Traffic Act to provide for more severe penalties for traffic and road related offences.
12. Cabinet has taken note of the nomination of a panel of Mauritian experts to form part of a Regional Advisory Committee on the 10-year Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan of SADC, which is an important policy document to help SADC achieve its broader developmental and integration goals.
13. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Industry and International Trade has approved 12 applications for registration as Small and Medium Enterprises which will be involved in the manufacture, inter alia, of fibre glass products, wooden furniture, metal and tarpaulin products, gold and silver wears, frozen snacks. The projects are expected to give rise to investment in production equipment to the tune of Rs 1.7m and create new employment and sustain 52 existing ones.
14. Cabinet has taken note that the Tertiary Education Commission and the University Grants Commission of India have signed a Consortium Agreement, which aims at promoting collaboration in tertiary education and research.
15. Cabinet has taken note that the Government of Mauritius and the Government of Canada will sign a Memorandum of Understanding for co-operation in the field of Postal Services.
16. Cabinet has taken note of the activities which will be organised to mark the World Telecommunication Day to be celebrated on 17 May 2002. The theme chosen by the International Telecommunication Union for this year is “ICT for all: empowering people to cross the Digital Divide”.
17. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the missions of –
(i) the Minister of Industry and International Trade to Rodrigues from 17 to 19 April 2002, where he took stock of the situation of Small and Medium Enterprises and assessed their weaknesses and constraints;
(ii) the Minister of Arts and Culture to China from 23 April to 2 May 2002, where he had discussions on cultural exchange programmes;
(iii) the Minister of Housing and Lands to Rodrigues from 4 to 6 May 2002, in the context of allocation of State land for development projects; and
(iv) the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice & Human Rights to Swaziland on 12 and 13 April 2002, where he participated in the 6th Meeting of Attorneys-General and Ministers of Justice of COMESA.
18. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the SADC Legal Sector Meeting of Ministers of Justice and Attorneys-General held in Mauritius on 8 and 9 April 2002.
19. Cabinet took note of the participation of the Ministry of Labour & Industrial Relations at the 25th Session of the OAU Labour and Social Affairs Commission held in Burkina Faso from 16 to 21 April.
20. Cabinet has taken note of the award of contract for the second phase of the airport development project in Rodrigues.