IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Mauritius' focus on legislation and innovation has positioned the country as one of only a few outside Europe to feature data protection laws in line with the recently enacted GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations).

This is according to the island nation's Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation Yogida Sawmynaden, who spoke at the inaugural Africa Cyber Defense Summit held recently in Nairobi.

Located in the Indian Ocean 500 miles off the coast of Madagascar, the country of Mauritius is barely 10 times the size of Washington DC. Despite its size, but the country is attempting something big: creating an environment for potential investors and new jobs with its Smart City Scheme. Mauritius has already found success in moving from an economy based primarily on sugar exports and tourism to one based on finance, business and banking outsourcing. The island nation now boasts one of the most successful economies on the continent. If this Smart City Scheme project proves successful, it could provide a blueprint for more African smart cities to follow their own path to prosperity.

Mauritius is preparing for a new phase in its e-governance journey as the country's e-government strategy for the years between 2013 and 2017 draws to a close.

The island nation organised the 4th edition of State Informatics Limited (SIL) e-Government Conference under the theme "Digital Transformation in Public Administration" this week.

The initiative is part of a digital transformation programme by Japan International Cooperation Agency and Accenture to pilot projects in six countries across Asia and Africa.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has announced pilot programmes to support digital transformation (DX) in six countries across Asia and Africa.

As Japan’s central governmental organisation providing economic and social aid for developing nations, Jica is prioritising the application of digital technologies to address development challenges.

A National Consultation meeting on the creation of a Regional e-Governance Academy in Mauritius, which will help advance the digital culture across communities and within the region, was held yesterday at the Voilà Hôtel, in Bagatelle.

In his address at the event, the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Etienne Sinatambou, indicated that the Academy, which will be based on the Estonian model, would enhance the quality of life of citizens through innovative technologies by providing personalised and efficient government services.

Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas has signed agreements of good will with the African Union and Mauritius for the development of e-governance.

The agreement with the African Union more broadly concerns e-governance cooperation, whereas the agreement with Mauritius focuses more specifically on the creation of a regional e-governance training module. The signing of both agreements took place on the sidelines of European Union -- African Union summit, spokespeople for the Estonian government said.

Mauritius e-Government portals platform, which includes the government's internet, intranet portals, and a large set of e-services, was unveiled during a recent launching event by the Mauritian Minister of ICT.

Mauritius and Estonia will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Cooperation in the margins of the fifth Africa-European Union Summit 2017 scheduled on 28-29 November 2017 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Both the Mauritian Prime Minister and the Estonian Prime Minister will sign the accord.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, made this announcement yesterday while launching a seminar on Digitalisation at Paul Octave Wiéhé auditorium in Réduit.

In a statement, Chedumbrum said that Mauritius is taking further steps to promote computer literacy among citizens with special attention for “vulnerable” groups and elderly people.

With and 100 square miles of partially mountainous terrain, Navini nomadic broadband wireless access is being deployed to meet the residential, business and recreational needs of the island’s population of 1.2 million and will be well positioned to take advantage of next generation mobile broadband wireless 802.16e-based WiMAX.

Only about 1.5 percent of tax payers used the Internet to fulfill their fiscal obligations last year, when the service was unavailable.

A one-day workshop on the Mauritius e-Registry Project (MeRP) at the Registrar-General Department (RGD) was this week for the staff of the department. The first phase of the project will be implemented in January 2014.

The objective of the workshop was to apprise the staff of the different aspects of the project and the benefits to be derived thereafter. Some 150 officers participated in the workshop aimed to familiarising themselves on the new eservices to be provided under the MeRP.

Mauritius has lost six rankings. The country is losing ground in its degree of preparation to participate in and benefit from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) developments. This is at least the conclusion of the Global Information Technology Report published recently by the World Economic Forum (WEF). While Mauritius claims to be a cyber-island, how come it has gone down by six ranks in one year?

The Port Louis Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Asraf Dulull, yesterday said government had embarked on the elaboration of "a new National Strategic Plan for the ICT sector so as to give a new boost to entrepreneurship development in ICT in Mauritius." The Minister said this at the launching of an ICT Business Pre-Incubator cell at the Mauritian University of Technology.

Mauritius war bis dato vor allem als Land des Zuckerrohrs und der weissen Strände bekannt.

Dies soll sich nun ändern: die Regierung will die Insel zu einem IT-Zentrum ausbauen. Als erster Schritt soll die gesamte Insel mittels Wireless LAN vernetzt werden - eine Aufgabe, der sich derzeit die Firma ADB Networks widmet.

The Pan African e-Network Project, meant to connect 53 countries of the African Union (AU) by satellite and fibre optic network, is an initiative of the former President of India P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Former Indian president Abdul Kalam initiated the project in 2004. The plan aims to connect the African Union's 53 nations through satellite and fiber-optic networks.

The Ministry of Education also launched this week Eduweb, a new educational project for the teaching staff of colleges and universities.

Port Louis (Mauritius The Mauritius State Informatics Limited (MSIL) has landed a big contract from the Namibian government to advise and help put in place an e-government project, APA learns in the Mauritian capital Port Louis on Friday.

Kemraz Mohee, Director of the MSIL indicated here that the state company has won the 18-month contract after the Namibian government had invited tenders.

At the opening ceremony of the Infotech fair at the Swami Vivekananda Centre in Pailles, on Wednesday, he said: “We are currently launching an expression of interest for consultants for the electronic ID card. Once the Central Procurement Board has selected a candidate, we will request the nominee to give us details regarding specifications, designs and software of the card.”