Impacts of Covid-19 in Mauritius and the important role of technology

Tony Lee is a partner at Ecosis Ltd in Mauritius. He is an expert for the advocacy platform, United for Smart and Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) and for the "digital transformation of cities" working group of UN Habitat. We chat about challenges and opportunities in Mauritius, how technologies will play a critical role in the future, impacts of Covid-19, confirmed beliefs and moving in to the future.

Key Takeaways

Challenges and Opportunities

• Challenges for the built environment industry as there are many uncertainties.
• Opportunities do still exist as there is a hotel development that is going ahead.

Technologies will have a major impact in the future

• Data collection will be critical going forward.
• Safe City project in Mauritius.
• Call for projects to find new tech to assist in Resilience.
• Covid-19 has spurred creativity, innovation, and thinking fast.
• Plant a Sensor is a global air quality campaign by the World Green Building Council rolling out internationally.
• 4^th Industrial revolution being fast-tracked.

The worst nightmare for Mauritius.

• Loss of lives, especially in vulnerable groups.
• Mauritius' inequality is not as harsh as in many other countries.
• Ability to contain the pandemic and secondary effects that are possible.
• Increase in poverty.

Impacts of Covid-19

• Accelerated some of their projects on the technology side
• Construction projects are worrying.
• Post-Covid people will be more conscious about the building the go into and the environment around them.

Confirmed beliefs

• Focus and consciousness on Resilience
• Public transport needs to be repurposed
• Rapid urbanisation will slow down
• Investors will continue to invest in cities as it is less risky.

Moving into the future

• The need for a data driven economy
• Rethink how we have done things in the past

About Tony Lee, Business Mauritius and U4SSC

Tony’s expertise lies in the field of sustainability, the built environment, and multi-sector collaboration. He is a chartered quantity surveyor, project manager, and an accredited partnership broker. Tony is an expert for the advocacy platform, United for Smart and Sustainable Cities (U4SSC), and for the “digital transformation of cities” working group of UN Habitat. He also leads the special commission of Sustainable Cities and Communities of Business Mauritius.

Business Mauritius is an independent association that represents over 1200 local businesses and has, through them, a national, regional, and international reach. Business Mauritius is the coordinating body and the voice of local business and delivers services that sustain the progress of both business and community.

The “United for Smart Sustainable Cities” (U4SSC) is a UN initiative coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat, and supported by CBD, ECLAC, FAO, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UN Environment, UNEP-FI, UNFCCC, UNIDO, UNOPS, UNU-EGOV, UN-Women and WMO to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".   U4SSC serves as the global platform to advocate for public policy and to encourage the use of ICTs to facilitate and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities.

Web:
www.ecosisltd.com
www.businessmauritius.org
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/ssc/united/Pages/default.aspx