The President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, attended an event organised in the context of the celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of the Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd, on Friday 01 December, at the Docks 2 Tower in Port-Louis.
The Chairperson of the CHCL, Mr Medavy Pillay Munien, the Officer-in-Charge of the CHCL, Mr Sanjaye Paddiah, and other personalities were also present.
In his address, President Roopun indicated that the CHCL is a state-owned private company incorporated in October 1983 to take over the activities of four private stevedoring companies. The CHCL, he mentioned, is the sole operator for container handling activities in Port Louis across three business units namely, Mauritius Container Terminal, Multi-Purpose Terminal and Corporate Services and has a labour force of some 1,400 people which is remarkable.
Drawing on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the President underlined that it was a time of uncertainty for trade activities across the world including Mauritius. The pandemic changed our way of doing things, made us look beyond challenges and take up new opportunities in terms of modernising our overall operations, he observed. According to him, the CHCL is a leading operator serving as an undisputed gateway of the sub-Saharan African Region that can highly contribute in exploring the full potential of the Indian Ocean.
We have to continue to diversify the economy and pursue our efforts in transforming Mauritius into a high-income country in line with the aspirations of the Government, underscored the President, while adding that this would require huge investment in terms of infrastructure, labour force and modern equipment.
Moreover, President Roopun seized the opportunity to pay a tribute to all employees and stakeholders who, with their dedication and commitment, have contributed in the development of the port area overtime.
For his part, Mr Munien, stated that the celebration of the 40th anniversary of CHCL is a great opportunity to reflect on the past achievements of the organisation and address any shortcomings that are hindering productivity and efficiency.
The CHCL, he remarked, has invested massively in labour force and acquisition of technological tools to ensure smooth operations of the port area. Our vision is to be recognised as the preferred port of the Indian Ocean region and we will continue to work in partnership with all stakeholders so as to enhance the port area and improve our maritime connectivity, he underpinned.
