🇲🇺MauritiusEast Africa
Tobacco prevalence remains high in Mauritius at 18.1%, including among youth
via Le Mauricien4 min read
The University of Mauritius, in collaboration with the NGO VISA, hosted a meeting at the Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre-Bornes to discuss the findings of the 2025 Index on Tobacco Industry Interference. This gathering aimed to foster a coordinated response to protect public health policies in Mauritius. Key stakeholders, including Vinoda Vythelingum, World Health Organization representative, Yodhim Del Rosa, research coordinator for the Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, Dr. Marie France Chan Sun, associate professor at the University of Mauritius, and Poubarlanaden Appavoo, president of NGO VISA, attended the event. Representatives from various ministries and partner organizations were also present. The report, conducted by the University of Mauritius and NGO VISA, is part of a global survey coordinated by the Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, covering 100 countries, including 20 in Africa. It assesses how governments manage tobacco industry interference, in line with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In Mauritius, Dr. M. F. Chan Sun leads the study. The 2025 Index places Mauritius 15th out of 100 countries with a score of 44, ranking it among the best performers in Africa. However, challenges persist due to the tobacco industry's influence in sectors like tourism and hospitality. Vinoda Vythelingum highlighted that tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable deaths globally, with o
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Mauricien.
The Mauritian government's 2026-2027 budget, presented by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Navin Ramgoolam, prioritizes environmental protection and climate resilience. Measures include a 4 billion Rupee allocation for the Coastal Erosion Adaptation Programme to rehabilitate over 11.5 kilometers of severely affected coastline across 17 priority sites over the next five years. The budget also emphasizes nature-based solutions like reforestation, wetland preservation, dune restoration, and coastal vegetation rehabilitation, alongside the development of a National Shoreline Management Strategy. The revival of the Maurice Île Durable project, now integrated into the country's ecological transition strategy, and the creation of a Just Transition Commission are also highlighted. Eco-citizen groups Mru2025-AKNL and Platform Moris Lanvironnman offered mixed reactions. Carina Gounden, spokesperson for Mru2025-AKNL, views the budget announcements as largely confirming existing initiatives rather than introducing groundbreaking changes. She welcomes the focus on nature-based solutions but stresses the need for courageous decisions and better inter-institutional coordination. Gounden also notes the decision to no longer grant new leases for state lands and Pas Géométriques under the G+2 regime for apartment sales to foreigners, though she believes its scope is limited as it doesn't affect already approved projects or the preservation of undeveloped Pas Géométriques. A major concern
The construction of the Rivière des Anguilles Dam is anticipated to commence this year, with completion projected for 2029. This announcement was made by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, despite the project having been announced in 2009 and facing numerous delays. The Central Procurement Board is expected to award the construction contract in the coming weeks. Two Chinese firms, China International Water & Electric Corp and Sinohydro Corporation Limited, are currently in contention, with project cost proposals ranging from 5 to 7 billion rupees. The project will be financed by a consortium including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Saudi Fund for Development, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development. Public Utilities Minister Patrick Assirvaden confirmed that construction could start around November or December. The dam is considered a strategic project aimed at enhancing national water storage capacity, improving resilience to climate change, and ensuring a sustainable water supply for the growing demand in the southern part of the island. It is expected to benefit 50,000 to 60,000 families in the South, Southeast, and Southwest regions, which frequently experience water shortages during dry periods. The Rivière des Anguilles, which will supply the dam, is known for its clean water, with an estimated 1.8 million cubic meters per month currently lost to nature and the sea. The dam will be a rockfill structure with a bitumen watertight lining, approximately 2,200 meter
Adi Teelock, a member of Platform Moris Lanvironman and an environmental activist, states that the construction and operation of infrastructure for artificial intelligence development, particularly data centers, carry significant environmental and social costs due to their high energy and water consumption for cooling. She emphasizes that in a country facing water stress and an energy crisis, which disproportionately affect low-income households, the government needs to clarify its policy on these issues. Teelock also expresses concern about the M4 highway, which primarily benefits individual transport and real estate projects, questioning its environmental impact and its ability to improve inter and intra-village connectivity given inadequate public transport. She argues that projects like the M4 highway and urban regeneration in the port area require technical, financial, environmental, and social feasibility studies, as well as strategic environmental and social assessments, due to their climatic, environmental, and social costs. Teelock highlights the critical importance of ocean health in the context of climate and biodiversity crises, urging that policies in this area should not exacerbate these existential threats. While acknowledging positive announcements regarding coastal protection through nature-based solutions, tourism, solid waste management, agroforestry, food security, solar electricity, and the water sector, she stresses the need to see the related strategies