Launched in 2018/2019, the Mauritius National AI Strategy positions the small island and developing state as a digital innovation hub, where AI can drive economic growth, resilience and global competitiveness. With high internet penetration rates and an advanced Internet Communications Technology (ICT) sector, its digital ambitions are not far-fetched. The Strategy’s strategic recommendations are well-aligned with broader development visions, including the Mauritius Vision 2030, the Smart Mauritius Agenda and the Digital Mauritius 2030 Strategy.
However, this Policy Analysis by Tshepiso Hadebe and Pria Chetty evidences that, while the Strategy addresses productivity, innovation and the need to future-proof the local economy, its content and scope must be expanded to explicitly embed rights-based, inclusive, and sustainable principles into deployment initiatives.
Practically, this entails a commitment to enforcing human rights impact assessments, including gender equity and disability support within talent development and skills-training, and standardising environmental measurements to accurately measure and account for AI’s ecological footprint. Without this, the Strategy risks reinforcing structural inequalities, leaving many Mauritians behind in its quest for innovation and transformation.
Analysing the Strategy using the Just AI Framework of Inquiry, this piece identifies the gaps and limitations in Mauritius’ National AI Strategy, making key recommendations to support its effective implementation. The analysis finds that six core principles must be integrated before Mauiritius can truly initiate AI-driven, inclusive development – these core principles include: human rights primacy; democratic governance; economic justice; equity and inclusion; data justice; and sustainability.
Through a justice-oriented lens, this analysis highlights the need for a future-facing AI ecosystem that is trusted, equitable, and responsive to the needs of all Mauritians.
