by Alvyn Ulrish Shad Savrimuthu
The World Bank Group officially launched the Mauritius Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR), convening policymakers, financial institutions, and senior private sector leaders to examine how climate resilience can be accelerated while supporting long-term economic growth. Positioned as a strategic roadmap, the CCDR outlines investment priorities, policy reforms, and collaborative approaches required to advance climate adaptation, mitigation and inclusive job creation in Mauritius.
A central highlight of the programme was a high-level panel discussion moderated by Brinda Devi Dabysing, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank Group. The session explored how private sector organisations are translating climate ambition into operational reality, bringing together Mr. Philippe Espitalier-Noël, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of ER Group Limited; Mr. Guillaume Dalais, Group CEO of CIEL; Mr. Raj Makoond, Programme Director at Eclosia; and Mr. Jean-Michel Ng Tseung, Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MCB Group Limited.
Mr. Philippe Espitalier-Noël, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of ER Group Limited, shared his perspective on the evolution of public-private dialogue in Mauritius and its role in advancing climate action. He emphasised that strategic alignment between stakeholders already exists, stating, “We don’t think we have much difficulty aligning in terms of priorities.” Instead, Philippe argued that the country’s main challenge lies in translating ambition into delivery. “The issue is with execution and implementation,” he noted, pointing to longstanding projects in renewable energy, water management and waste systems that have been identified but which remain delayed. Referencing what he described as the need to improve the “say-to-do ratio”, he stressed that acceleration requires moving beyond discussion toward structured implementation. Philippe also highlighted the importance of developing skills and institutional capacity to enable faster execution, suggesting that collaboration with international partners could help bridge capability gaps and ensure that identified priorities are effectively realised.
Addressing how climate considerations are embedded into corporate strategy, Mr. Guillaume Dalais, Group CEO of CIEL, outlined how sustainability is anchored in the group’s purpose and long-term value creation framework. He explained that the company’s guiding ambition is “for a world we can all feel proud of,” which has translated into a structured sustainability roadmap covering the period from 2020 to 2030. Guillaume emphasised that climate action must be simplified to become operational across diverse business units, noting that sustainability objectives can appear complex or abstract to operational leaders. By establishing measurable targets, including achieving 80 percent renewable energy usage and reducing waste to landfill by 50 percent, the group has created clear performance benchmarks. “It has to be simple and measurable,” he said, underlining the importance of structured governance, monthly monitoring, and consistent data tracking. He added that ambitious commitments push organisations to innovate, allocate capital more strategically, and maintain a focus on long-term resilience rather than short-term performance alone.
Offering his insights into operational transformation and supply chain adaptation, Mr. Raj Makoond, Programme Director at Eclosia, explained how climate action is being integrated directly into business operations. A key starting point involved developing internal capability to measure emissions across companies, enabling decentralised decision-making supported by coordinated strategy. “We’re trying to mainstream sustainable activities… within those operations,” Raj said, describing initiatives spanning energy transition, supply chain restructuring, and investment in research. He highlighted a major solar energy project aimed at reducing electricity-related emissions, alongside a maize production strategy in Madagascar designed to strengthen regional supply chains while reducing logistics-related carbon impact. Discussing financing structures, Raj explained that sustainable investments often rely on blended financing models combining traditional lending with sustainability-linked instruments and regional guarantees. “It’s a mix which is interesting for financing projects,” he noted, adding that de-risking mechanisms and innovative financial engineering can help lower capital costs and unlock investment in sustainability-focused initiatives.
From the financial sector perspective, Mr. Jean-Michel Ng Tseung, Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MCB Group Limited, underscored the critical role that banks must play in enabling climate adaptation and mitigation through financing and advisory support. Drawing on projections from the CCDR, he noted that Mauritius could require approximately $4.2 billion in climate-related investments by 2050. “The business case is there,” he stated, emphasising that failing to act could lead to significant economic losses, including declines in GDP and revenue reductions in climate-sensitive sectors such as tourism. Jean-Michel stressed that financial institutions must go beyond traditional lending by facilitating green bonds, structured financing solutions, and collaborative investment platforms involving insurers, pension funds, and institutional investors. He also noted that banks provide strategic guidance to clients navigating the transition, explaining that support extends beyond capital to helping organisations structure sustainable investments and benefit from fiscal incentives. “We are really here… to support the ambition,” he said, referencing the broader role of the banking sector in helping Mauritius achieve its renewable energy and climate resilience targets.
In closing, panellists were asked to identify practical steps that could accelerate implementation over the next 12 to 24 months. Raj emphasised the need for stronger policy execution, noting, “We have frameworks, but we have to go beyond the motherhood statements. We have to make it happen.” Guillaume highlighted the importance of strengthening public-private collaboration frameworks that can translate shared ambition into concrete projects, while Jean-Michel pointed to the value of a prioritised investment roadmap to accelerate financing flows. Philippe added that more effective deployment of existing private sector funds, supported by clear governance structures, could unlock faster access to finance and encourage wider participation. Together, the discussion reinforced a shared message: Mauritius already possesses strategic clarity and strong stakeholder alignment, and the next phase will depend on accelerating execution through coordinated action, innovative financing, and sustained collaboration between public and private actors.
