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DUBAI / WAM
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) with the UAE will help Mauritius become a gateway to Africa for the Middle East, said Prithvirajsing Roopun, the President of Mauritius. In an interview with WAM at the World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai, he said during his meetings with top UAE officials at the WGS, “We are all unanimous that Cepa is going to take our bilateral relations to new heights.” It is not only for the UAE and Mauritius but for African continent also, he stressed, as the new opportunities brought by the Cepa will help Mauritius become a gateway between Africa and the Middle East. “It is a win-win situation for all of us.”
New opportunities
The UAE and Mauritius concluded the terms of Cepa in last December, marking the first concluded by the UAE with an African nation. Building on almost five decades of ties, and more recent foundations including the opening of the Dubai office of the Mauritius Economic Development Board, the Cepa will cover trade in goods and services and investment facilitation, amongst others. Once implemented, it will accelerate robust growth in non-oil bilateral trade between the UAE and Mauritius, which in H1 2023 stood at $63.1 million, with opportunities strongest in chemicals, metals, and petroleum products sectors.
Talking about further prospects, the Mauritius President said the Cepa will open new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in governance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and blue economy. He was happy to hear the latest trends about AI from global experts at the WGS. AI will be a gamechanger in many sectors, if properly used, and no room for any apprehension about it. AI can be helpful in especially in governance, education, and health, the President said. UAE champions voice of Global South The UAE as an emerging world leader is supporting the voice of the Global South, especially the small island nations such as Mauritius, Roopun said.
“We are very appreciative of this. The main challenge that we are facing today is, of course, the global urgency of climate change. We wish to have the support, so that we can tackle the issue of climate change more effectively. For that, each one of us, big or small country, should join.”
He emphasised that the COP28, the UN Climate Conference in Dubai, was a resounding success, which would help the world to find concrete solutions to climate change. President Roopun is a holder of a master’s degree in international business law (LLM) from the University of Central Lancashire. Since 1989 and for over fifteen years, Roopun has been a member of the board of examiner of the Council of Legal Education. He also lectured at the Faculty of Law of the University of Mauritius.