Transparency Mauritius - Laura Jaymangal: "Without Oversight, Climate Funds Risk Misuse"

Laura Jaymangal, the interim director of Transparency Mauritius, has highlighted several gaps that could lead to corruption in the financing of climate projects in Mauritius. She pointed out that this issue affects not only initiatives from ministries and public agencies but also significantly impacts the private sector and youth-led programs, which lack rigorous structures and mechanisms for proper management of climate financing.

An NGO report titled "Climate Finance" was unveiled at The Docks on Wednesday, providing a series of recommendations to raise awareness among stakeholders about this issue.

Jaymangal emphasized the urgent need to better assess the impacts of funding from the private sector or international partners on climate projects. "At this stage, the report does not indicate any misuse of funds. However, we observe some discrepancies that could lead to resource mismanagement and pave the way for corruption or financial crimes," she clarified.

The report highlights the role of Transparency Mauritius as an intermediary responsible for raising awareness and preventing stakeholders involved in climate project financing from misusing funds. "The lack of structures to verify that funding is managed correctly prevents us from ensuring that projects have a real impact. We risk investing in initiatives that ultimately fail, which fuels concerns over the misuse of funds," Jaymangal explained.

The organization reiterates the necessity of ensuring transparency in activities related to climate projects and ensuring that funding comes from reliable and lawful sources.