Government has taken into consideration the request to extend the Wage Assistance Scheme and Self-Employed Assistance Scheme till December 2021, and a sum amounting to some Rs 2 billion has been disbursed from the Resilience Fund, announced the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, this afternoon in Port-Louis.
He was speaking at a press briefing following a meeting with private stakeholders to discuss on the ways to proceed towards the reopening of borders on 01 October 2021 by abiding to sanitary protocols.
The Chief Executive Officer of Business Mauritius, Mr Kevin Ramkaloan, the Chief Executive Officer of l’Association des Hôteliers et Restaurateurs de l’Ile Maurice (AHRIM), Mr Jocelyn Kwok, and the Secretary-General of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dr Yousouf Ismael were present.
Dr Padayachy pointed out that the aim of the meeting was to ensure that economic recovery is well supported with the reopening of borders on 01 October 2021. He reiterated Government’s commitment through adequate measures to boost the confidence of employees of the economic sectors, particularly the tourism industry.
On governmental initiatives to steer economic recovery, the Finance Minister spoke of the quarterly meeting of the Joint Public-Private Committee to be held in two weeks to monitor the economic landscape. The setting up of the Project Implementation and Monitoring Agency under his Ministry to assist in the implementation of budgetary measures and the Fast Track Committee chaired by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth were also highlighted by Minister Padayachy.
He expressed optimism for a favourable and dynamic economic trajectory for the country.
According to Mr Ramkaloan, the reopening of the borders will be crucial for the country, enterprises and employees and it will also be important for different sectors of the economy. He mentioned that the aim is to have a successful reopening by taking into account the safety of the population.
As for Mr Kwok, he underlined that the reopening of borders will give a new thrust to the tourism sector. Out of the 20 international airlines serving Mauritius regularly, 15 will be on their way to their destination before December, he said.
For his part, Dr Ismael dwelt on the importance of the Wage Assistance Scheme for companies in terms of their cash flows. For him, with the reopening of borders individuals in informal sectors will be able to travel and import their goods for the festive season. The need to increase competitiveness as well as to boost local production was moreover underscored by Dr Ismael.
