PNQ: Xavier Duval Wanted To Know More About Mauritius Africa Fund Ltd And The World And Trade Centre Project

The Private Notice Question on Tuesday 20 June focused on the Mauritius Africa Fund Ltd, with particular emphasis on the World Trade Centre project in Côte d’Or. It was addressed to the Minister of Finance. But as Renganaden Padayachy was not in the country, it was Sunil Bholah, who was deputising, who had the difficult task of answering the question. It was not a pleasant moment for him. He could not answer precisely to various supplementary questions of the Leader of the Opposition. It even seemed, at one point, that Xavier-Luc Duval knew the file better than Sunil Bholah. The Leader of the Opposition emphasized that the projects in which the Mauritius Africa Fund Ltd is involved have not yielded any profit. Xavier-Luc Duval believes it is time to stop spending taxpayers’ money in such a frivolous manner. To which Minister Bholah argued that there was Covid-19. However, in his introductory reply, Minister Sunil Bholah revealed that the government had injected Rs 184 million as share capital. As at 31 May, the total amount of grants awarded to the Mauritius Africa Fund stood at Rs 88.6 million. In addition, Rs 43 million had been paid by way of remuneration to directors and members of staff. He also indicated that expenditure on external travel amounted to Rs 3.5 million.