The OECD.AI Policy Navigator

On 27 July 2024, Mauritius enacted the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024, introducing new tax incentives and exemptions for companies specialising in AI products and services.

The METC has four main strategic objectives:Boost the digital ecosystem, focusing on emerging technologiesSupport innovation with emerging technologiesAdvise the government on policies related to emerging technologiesCraft industry partnerships

There has been the setup of the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council, whose unofficial manadate is to cater for AI development in Mauritius also. There was an initiative to develop AI policies based on the strategy, amongst others.

The Mauritius AI Strategy outlines how AI could support key sectors like agriculture, health, FinTech, transport, and manufacturing. It identifies national challenges and opportunities through SWOT analysis. The strategy aimed to guide future development, though it lacked detailed implementation plans and was only partially followed up by the creation of the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council.

Under the Sandbox Framework, interested companies (local or international as well as incubators) will be required to offer a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), that is, a version of the new product with sufficient features, to allow the public organisation to evaluate its appropriateness with the least efforts and resources.

The national AI policy has the main purpose of setting out rules and principles applicable for Mauritius in order to boost AI development and adoption.