Blue economy: Mauritius hosts WIO Futures 2026 to advance regional cooperation

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Futures 2026, an initiative of the Charles Telfair Centre in collaboration with IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, Australian Aid, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the Centre for Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, and Odysseo Foundation, aiming to foster regional cooperation in innovation, equitable capacity building and inclusive ocean governance, kicked off this morning at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port-Louis.

The two-day conference brings together scientists, researchers, policymakers, and community representatives from the United Nations and 13 countries, including Seychelles, Africa, Denmark, Croatia and Australia.

Distinguished guests in attendance included the Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr Arvin Boolell; the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Lisa Simrique Singh; the High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Mr Anurag Srivastava; and the High Commissioner of Australia to Mauritius, Ms Kate Chamley.

In his address, Minister Boolell reaffirmed Government’s vision of transforming Mauritius into a Big Ocean Sustainable State, with a strong focus on marine renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and climate resilience. Mauritius, he noted, has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.2 million square kilometres, along with an Extended Continental Shelf of approximately 396,000 square kilometres in the Mascarene Plateau region.

He also emphasised the importance of effective coastal zone management to ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, while cautioning against the increasing threat of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.

Dr Boolell further announced that a National Blue Economy Strategy is currently being prepared and is expected to be presented shortly. He also called for action, revealing that a new legislation is being drafted with the assistance of the World Bank to strengthen governance and sustainability within the ocean economy sector.

For her part, Ms Singh stressed the need to promote open data sharing to strengthen marine research, innovation and policy coordination among nations. She further pointed out that the UN continues to support Small Island Developing State and African coastal States in amplifying their voices in global ocean governance and sustainability.

As for High Commissioners Srivastava and Chamley, both urged for stronger collaboration and shared commitment towards inclusive and sustainable solutions to deal with emerging challenges.

18 May 2026

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Topics: Fisheries, Maritime, Ocean Economy