Foundation Laying Stone Ceremony for the Construction of the First Technopark at Baladirou in Rodrigues

The foundation stone for the construction of the first Technopark at Baladirou to the tune of MUR 221 million was laid by Dr. The Hon. Renganaden PADAYACHY, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development and Mr. Louis Serge CLAIR, G.C.S.K, Chief Commissioner, Rodrigues Regional Assembly in the presence of Mrs. R. M. Franchette GASPARD-PIERRE LOUIS, C.S.K, Commissioner for Information Technology and Communications and Mr. Jaywant PANDOO, Chairman and Director of Rodrigues Business Park Development Company Ltd (RBPDCL) on 4th March 2021.

In his speech, Dr. the Hon. Renganaden PADAYACHY emphasized on the series of initiatives that Government has embarked to fully support the economic development of Rodrigues. He stated that Rodrigues is a model and reiterated the commitment and support of his Ministry to enable the island to achieve its development goals. With regard to the Technopark at Baladirou, he pointed out the ecosystem that will be developed around this project and the spillover on the economy of the island.

Mr. Louis Serge CLAIR, G.C.S.K, on the other hand expressed his desire to see the youth playing a more prominent role in the ICT/BPO sector. H8e further noted that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and capacity building for the youth in the ICT/BPO industry will play a greater role in the future development of Rodrigues.

In her address, Mrs. R. M. Franchette GASPARD-PIERRE LOUIS, C.S.K, underlined the challenges faced for the acceptance of the Mauritius–Rodrigues Submarine Cable (MARS) by Rodrigues and the digital transformation that has been possible with the operationalisation of this project which has propelled Rodrigues to a new stage of its economic development. She further stated that the Technopark at Baladirou will be a state-of-the-art green building aligned with the island’s national environment policy. The vision of Rodrigues for the Technopark at Baladirou is to emulate the Ebene Cybercity Business Park model in Mauritius.

High internet connectivity with the operationalization of the MARS cable will boost the development of the information technology sector in Rodrigues and create jobs, which, in turn, will improve the standard of living of the population of Rodrigues.

The RBPDCL was set up for the development and management of the Technopark. Upon completion of the construction of the Technopark, RBPDCL will lease the available floor space to potential investors for the setting up of ICT-related businesses in a modern building offering hi-tech facilities. To give a new impetus to the ICT/BPO sector in Rodrigues, an MoU was signed between the Economic Development Board and the RBPDCL on 7th December 2020 with a view to promote investment in the ICT/ BPO sector with the setting up of a business park which will be constructed at Baladirou.

The Technopark at Baladirou consists of the construction of a state-of-the-art building four storey building spanning over an area of 5,200 m2 at Baladirou, with attractive facades and modern claddings equipped with hi-tech facilities. It is expected that the construction of the building will be completed within 18 months from the start of works.

Rodrigues has the potential of becoming the ideal complement for ICT-BPO companies already operational. The following niche sectors have been identified for development in Rodrigues: Finance & Accounting Outsourcing, Disaster Recovery Centre and Data Entry.