University of Mauritius hosts guest lecture and panel discussion on migration

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Mauritius (UoM) organised a guest lecture and panel discussion on the theme ‘Rethinking Migration: Public Health, Development and Social Cohesion’ on Friday 11 September 2026 in Réduit.

The Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations, Mr Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem, and the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon, as well as academics, students and other stakeholders, attended the event. The guest lecture was delivered by Associate Professor in Global Health and Migration at Uppsala University, Sweden, Dr Soorej Jose Puthoopparambil.

In his address for the occasion, Minister Uteem highlighted the growing importance of migration for Mauritius, particularly in view of the country’s ageing population and the resulting decline in its labour force. He indicated that, as at 31 August 2026, around 51,000 foreign workers held work permits, while around 12,000 held occupation permits, bringing the total number of foreign workers in Mauritius to around 63,000. He noted that, compared to around 41,000 foreign workers in 2023, this represented an increase of 55% over a period of two and a half years.

Mr Uteem pointed out that foreign workers were needed to sustain economic activity and support the country’s development ambitions. At the same time, he underlined the importance of ensuring their integration and social cohesion, as well as preventing discrimination and possible xenophobic reactions. He also raised issues relating to the health and safety of migrant workers, including access to healthcare, medical insurance, language barriers, workplace safety and mental health.

Moreover, the Minister averred that an induction course was being developed to provide foreign workers with information on their rights, working conditions, access to services and emergency contacts. He informed that, with the support of the International Labour Organisation, the Ministry would be recruiting a consultant to examine the socio-economic impact of foreign workers in Mauritius and assist in developing policies to strengthen their integration.

For his part, Minister Sukon, highlighted the contribution of migrants to the development of Mauritius, noting that the country had been shaped by successive generations of migrants. While referring to global migration trends, he emphasised the importance of examining migration from both short-term and long-term perspectives. He thus encouraged academics to contribute to the research and literature on migration, and invited students to reflect on the different dimensions of the issue.

The Minister further stressed the importance of international collaboration in higher education and research. He stated that internationalisation remained a priority for the Government and encouraged academics to pursue and strengthen collaboration with international partners.

In his lecture, Dr Puthoopparambil highlighted the importance of strengthening capacity in migration health and supporting evidence-informed policymaking. He indicated that the UoM had joined the Cluster of Research Excellence in Migration & Health, an Africa-Europe research collaboration, with opportunities being provided to develop research and share experiences in migration health. Mauritius’ particular context, including labour migration, immigration and the impact of climate change as an island nation, was also highlighted as an area of interest for the collaboration.

Moreover, Dr Puthoopparambil stressed the importance of bringing together researchers, policymakers and practitioners, particularly, to ensure that research generated was relevant to policy and practice. He further emphasised the need to support early-career and junior researchers through training and capacity building in evidence-informed policymaking. He also spoke of the opportunities for researcher exchanges and further collaboration with Uppsala University.

The guest lecture was followed by a panel discussion focusing on migration, public health, development and social cohesion.

16 September 2026

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Topics: Education