The Cabinet met on Friday, October 10, where several decisions were taken together with several agreements in place pertaining to healthcare, consumer bills, and Artificial Intelligence trickling into various economic sectors.
An assent was given to the introduction of the Law Practitioners (Disciplinary Proceedings) Bill into the National Assembly designed to make provisions for simplified and codified procedures while lending clarity and transparency into the conduct of independent probe into alleged act of professional misconduct by a law practitioner in the exercise of its duty and the institution of and conduct of disciplinary proceedings against a law practitioner before the Supreme Court.
The bill provides for the establishment of the Law Practitioners Complaints Commission as the sole body empowered to investigate alleged acts of professional misconduct by a law practitioner and decide whether to institute disciplinary proceedings against the practitioner before the Supreme Court.
The Cabinet has also agreed for the drafting of a new Consumer Protection Bill aiming to consolidate the current Consumer Protection Act and the Fair Trading Act into a single, modern and coherent framework to streamline enforcement by providing regulators with a clear mandate and a unified set of tools for investigations and sanctions, thereby reducing delays and improving responsiveness; enhance legal clarity and predictability for businesses, encouraging compliance, lowering regulatory burdens, and fostering a fairer and more competitive marketplace.
The new bill is expected to introduce new provisions such as the setting up of a National Consumer Council, strengthening consumer rights, recall procedures for unsafe goods, and the prohibition of unfair contract terms, and new regulations for emerging priorities, among others.
Several agreements were also received the cabinet’s nod such as the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Venkateshwar Hospital, New Delhi, India, aiming to buttress specialised healthcare through structured collaboration while boosting capacity building for local health care professionals, technical assistance for the upgrading of facilities and access to advanced treatments not available in Mauritius.
Another MoU between the Health Ministry and Fortis Healthcare Limited, India, was signed with the aim of providing a framework to establish and maintain a collaborative programme for patient care by leveraging diagnostics and treatment services, where the objective is to tap into activities such as Consultation Camps and Continuous Medical Education Programmes for healthcare personnel.
The cabinet also took note that a Joint Public-Private Steering Committee co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade and the Minister of Industry, SME and Cooperatives will be set up, in the context of hosting in August 26 of the 18th US-Africa Business Summit in Mauritius with representatives hailing from the PMO, Prime Minister’s Office; Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Economic Development Board, Business Mauritius, Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mauritius Finance and Mauritius Bankers Association.
The second meeting of the Mauritius-India High Powered Joint Trade Committee set up under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement, will take place on November 13 and 14 , 2025, on the island, where the Indian delegation will be led by the Economic Adviser, Department of Commerce, Renu Lata, and the local side by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador J. Bissoondoyal.
Cabinet also took note of the upcoming International Conference on Fintech, Law, Artificial Intelligence, Management, and Education (FLAME 2025) to be hosted from October 14-16 in Mauritius. Held by the University of Mauritius, FLAME 2025 strives to create a dynamic sharing platform for researchers, professionals, and educators to discuss and exchange insights on the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the fields of finance, law, artificial intelligence (AI), management, and education. It aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to address the impact of emerging technologies on society and innovative solutions to address key challenges.
The key objectives of the conference include the exploration and integration of AI in financial services, such as digital payments, blockchain technologies, cybersecurity, financial inclusion and sustainable finance, alongside discussions on regulatory frameworks; focus on legal tech innovations, AI in legal services, data privacy laws, international arbitration and future of legal practice; AI applications in healthcare, personalised technologies, climate solutions, emphasising ethical AI development and its transformative potential.
