Emmanuel Macron's State Visit to Mauritius on November 20 and 21: A Whirlwind Tour
French President Emmanuel Macron will be on a state visit to Mauritius on November 20 and 21, which is Thursday and Friday of next week.
During his visit, Emmanuel Macron will hold discussions with the President of the Republic, Dharam Gokhool, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam. A state dinner is also planned in his honor on Thursday evening. The itinerary includes a trip to Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, where the French President will attend an event focused on e-sports and emerging technologies. He will also visit the Plastic Odyssey ship, which is dedicated to fighting plastic pollution.
Additionally, Emmanuel Macron will visit the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, where he will plant a tree before meeting with the business community. He will also launch the project for the new French embassy in Telfair. A joint statement by the French President and the Mauritian Prime Minister is scheduled for the late afternoon of November 20.
This visit is historically significant as Emmanuel Macron will be the first French President to officially visit Mauritius since 1993, the year François Mitterrand made the trip.
For this occasion, the head of state will be accompanied by a significant economic, parliamentary, and cultural delegation, including several Mauritian and French personalities of Mauritian origin, such as footballer Vikash Dhorasoo. During President Macron's official visit, France, through the French Development Agency (AFD), will sign five cooperation agreements with the Mauritian government. These commitments, focused on water and energy sectors, aim to accelerate infrastructure modernization, strengthen climate resilience, and promote sustainable management of essential resources. France seeks to illustrate "the strength of the bilateral partnership, in a context where Mauritius faces increasing challenges related to climate change and energy transition."
The agreements will support the transformation of the water sector and the transition to 60% renewable energy by 2035. A major financial support of 200 million euros (Rs 10.6 billion at the current exchange rate) will be dedicated to reforming the water sector, revamping the national strategy, enhancing state capacity, and integrating social, environmental, and gender issues.
Meanwhile, an investment program, with 100 million euros (Rs 5.3 billion) from the AFD and 20 million euros (Rs 1 billion) from the European Union (EU), is being prepared.
In the energy sector, Franco-European cooperation solidifies support for reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. Mauritius plans over 30 billion Mauritian rupees (MUR) in private investments, equivalent to 376 megawatts (MW) of new solar and biomass capacities by 2028. Green credit lines, via SBM and MauBank banks, as well as financing from Proparco for independent energy producers, will accelerate this production. EDF Réunion will intervene from December to help secure the electrical grid, anticipate extreme climate risks, and digitize the infrastructures of the Central Electricity Board (CEB). A technical support program of 700,000 euros (Rs 371.3 million), complemented by an AFD loan of 40 million euros (Rs 2.1 billion) and a 10 million euro (Rs 530 million) EU grant, will modernize the integration of renewable energies.
Additionally, the AFD will participate in the Generation M.IA Forum at Caudan, to explore the contributions of digitalization and artificial intelligence in water and energy management, fostering resilient and innovative development.
Finally, through the ICC-COI project, the AFD will support initiatives for youth: funding for the women's team at the e-sports tournament, promoting equality in digital industries, and video creativity workshops at the IA4Good festival, highlighting local culture and citizen ownership of technologies.
