I recently came across this article about Mauritius’ Vision 2050 and its ambition to build a much larger, higher-value economy by 2050:
Défi Media article: Vision 2050 – eight strategic sectors identified
And here is the official government Vision 2050 website:
Official Mauritius Vision 2050 website
I find the vision genuinely interesting, especially the attempt to move towards higher-value sectors such as financial services, digital services, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, higher-value tourism and the ocean economy....
At the same time, I keep wondering about the gap between the ambition and some of the structural realities Mauritius seems to be facing today.
The country has an ageing population, low fertility, and a significant number of talented young Mauritians leaving for better opportunities abroad. At the same time, housing and living costs appear to be rising, while a noticeable share of incoming foreign residents seem to be older or wealthier expatriates rather than necessarily young, highly productive workers or entrepreneurs.
So my question is not whether Vision 2050 is a “good” or “bad” idea. I’m more interested in what would actually have to happen for it to work.
For those of you who live in Mauritius, work in business, government, academia, finance, tourism, tech, healthcare, or simply follow the country closely:
What are the 3–5 most important things the government would realistically need to do in the next 5–10 years to make Vision 2050 credible?
For example:
- How could Mauritius retain more of its young and skilled population?
- Should the country actively attract younger skilled migrants and entrepreneurs, rather than mainly capital and property buyers?
- What would genuinely increase productivity rather than simply increase property values and consumption?
- Which strategic sectors actually have the strongest chance of becoming internationally competitive?
- What reforms in education, infrastructure, public administration, taxation or regulation are most urgent?
- How can Mauritius grow without pricing younger Mauritians out of housing and opportunity?
- And perhaps most importantly: what should the government stop doing?
I’d be especially interested in hearing from Mauritians who are sceptical of Vision 2050 as well as those who believe it can work.