PORT LOUIS, Sept 1 – Mauritius is moving to make artificial intelligence a central component of its economic and public-sector transformation, with the government targeting 50,000 people for practical AI training while developing digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks and an ecosystem for locally developed applications.
The strategy brings together the National AI Strategy, the Digital Transformation Blueprint 2025–2029, the AI Innovation Lab and measures included in the 2026–27 Budget. The government says the initiatives are intended to connect infrastructure, skills, innovation, cybersecurity and public-sector reform rather than operate as separate technology programmes.
Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Dr Avinash Ramtohul, said in an Interview with Local media Mauritius Times, the objective is to move Mauritius beyond conventional digitalization towards what he described as “digital intelligence”, with AI increasingly integrated into sectors including financial services, tourism, healthcare, agriculture, climate action and public administration.
A key part of that effort is the AI Innovation Lab STEM Centre, which includes a 24-computer AI training facility and an electronics laboratory equipped for robotics, sensors, circuit design and the development of AI applications. The facility is designed to provide students, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators with an environment to develop practical AI capabilities.
The government has also committed to training and enabling 50,000 Mauritians, reflecting an emphasis on workforce readiness as AI adoption accelerates. Ramtohul said the country cannot rely solely on purchasing technology, arguing that domestic capability across government, universities, businesses and communities will be essential.
AI and the future of work
The government’s approach recognises that AI is likely to alter the nature of work across Mauritius, particularly in occupations involving repetitive administrative and information-processing tasks.
Routine clerical work, basic data processing, some customer-service functions, elementary bookkeeping and parts of content production are among the areas expected to face greater exposure to automation. However, the government is also emphasising that technological adoption does not necessarily translate directly into the elimination of entire occupations.
The International Labour Organisation has similarly found that generative AI is more likely to transform many jobs by changing the tasks workers perform than to eliminate occupations entirely.
For Mauritius, the economic opportunity will depend on whether AI is used merely to automate existing processes or whether it helps create new businesses, services and export opportunities. The government’s strategy therefore includes workforce reskilling, tiered certifications, vocational programmes, bootcamps and stronger connections between education and industry.
The policy also places emphasis on AI literacy, data skills, coding, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, robotics and entrepreneurship, alongside human capabilities such as judgement, communication, leadership and critical thinking.
The government has described this approach through its AI4AI, or AI for ALL and Inclusive, programme, which is intended to extend AI literacy beyond students and technology professionals to workers, entrepreneurs, public officials, regulators, retirees and other citizens.
Government services move online
Public-sector reform is another major component of Mauritius’ AI agenda. The government is developing KOREK! as a unified digital gateway for public services. The platform has already incorporated services including digital penalty points, reporting of water leakages, electricity information, driving licence details and the State Age Pension Estimate. Online road-tax payments for taxi operators have also been introduced.
The next phase is expected to bring additional services onto the platform, while the National AI Strategy envisages DIVA, the Digital Interactive Virtual Assistant, becoming a 24-hour AI interface for citizens seeking government services.
The strategy also proposes intelligent search, automated workflows, multilingual assistance, predictive analytics and greater interoperability between government databases.
For policymakers, the potential benefit extends beyond convenience. Digital systems can make administrative delays measurable by recording when applications are submitted, where they are in a workflow and how long they remain at particular stages.
AI could subsequently be used to identify bottlenecks, flag unusual delays and provide managers with real-time information on government performance.
“AI will not substitute leadership or administrative responsibility,” Ramtohul said. “But it can make inefficiency visible and once a blockage is visible and measurable, it becomes much harder to ignore.”
The government nevertheless acknowledges that technology alone cannot resolve institutional inefficiency. Different agencies operate with separate databases, procedures and levels of digital maturity, meaning interoperability, organisational change, skills and legislative reform will remain important to the transformation process.
Data governance and public trust
The expansion of AI also brings questions over the use of personal data and accountability for automated decisions.
Mauritius intends to address these concerns through its National Data Governance Strategy and existing data-protection framework. Under the Mauritian Data Protection Act 2017, citizens must be informed about automated decision-making and profiling, including information on the logic involved and the potential significance and consequences of such processing.
The government’s position is that the introduction of AI does not remove existing rights or accountability obligations. Where an AI-assisted government decision is incorrect or causes harm, responsibility should ultimately remain with the relevant public authority or human decision-maker.
Digital inclusion is another consideration. The government says its approach will be “digital first, but human-centred”, with assisted channels and targeted programmes intended to prevent older people, persons with disabilities and citizens with limited digital skills from being excluded.
The new government portal is also being developed with accessibility requirements in mind, including compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Mauritius targets applied AI
Rather than attempting to compete with major economies in the development of large foundation models, Mauritius is focusing on applied AI where it believes the country has more realistic advantages.
The government’s target sectors include financial technology, tourism, government technology, smart agriculture, climate technology, logistics and healthcare. Mauritius’ financial-services industry, multilingual workforce, established institutions, links with Africa, India and Europe, and location in the Indian Ocean provide potential foundations for these applications.
The proposed Regional AI Marketplace is intended to connect technology providers, start-ups, businesses and public institutions, creating channels for AI solutions to move from development to commercial use.
The strategy also places emphasis on technological sovereignty, although the government does not frame this as technological isolation. Instead, the objective is to develop sufficient domestic capability to allow Mauritius to participate more effectively in the global AI economy.
The 2029 test
The government has identified three broad measures by which it intends to judge progress over the coming years. The first is the citizen experience. By 2029, it expects a large share of high-volume government interactions to be available through integrated digital systems, allowing citizens to access services and monitor transactions without repeatedly visiting different institutions.
The second is human capital and economic capacity. The government wants a substantially more AI-literate workforce and a stronger pipeline of Mauritian technology companies capable of developing intellectual property, services and exportable solutions.
The third is the efficiency of the State itself. This includes reducing administrative processing times, using data more effectively for policymaking and resource allocation, and improving government performance while maintaining privacy, cybersecurity and accountability.
The broader ambition is therefore not simply to increase the number of AI tools used across Mauritius. The government wants the technology to translate into higher productivity, stronger human capital, more efficient public services and new economic opportunities.
As AI adoption accelerates globally, Mauritius’ ability to turn its policy framework into measurable improvements in productivity and living standards will determine whether its strategy becomes an economic transformation or remains primarily a programme of digital investment.
