About the National Computer Board

 Preamble

The National Computer Board (NCB) was set up in 1988 by the National Board Act (Act No.43) to promote the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Mauritius. It is a para-statal body administered by a Board of Directors and operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

The NCB has recently redefined its strategies to respond more effectively to new national aspirations in view of multi-facetted challenges emerging in the wake of globalization and threatening the very resilience of the country's economy. Its core mission is now to accelerate the transition of Mauritius into a regional ICT hub and ensure the swift realization of government's objective to make of the ICT sector a fifth pillar of the economy.

  Our Vision

To be the key enabler in transforming Mauritius into a Cyber island and the regional ICT hub.

  Our Mission

To e-power people, businesses and the public sector by developing and promoting ICT and ICT related services in Mauritius.

  Core Values

We are committed to quality and excellence
We believe in teamwork and partnership
We are determined to provide professional services to our stakeholders, customers and partners
We aim at continuous improvement
We invest in our people

  Charter Objectives

This Charter gives an overview of the services and activities of the different divisions of the NCB.

  Organisation Chart

The organization structure comprises seven divisions

• Planning Research and Development
• Business Development and Promotion
• ICT Culture Promotion
• ICT Incubator Centre
• Government Online Centre
• Administration and Finance
• Communication

The Planning Research and Development division was set up to study the use of ICT in Mauritius, make policy and legal recommendations, analyse the trend in ICT technologies, promote the use of state-of-the-art technologies and carry out R&D in ICT.

The Business Development and Promotion Division was put in place to develop an integrated approach for the promotion of Mauritius as a cyber island at regional and international levels in coordination with other public and private organizations of the ICT sector. It has also to assess the competitiveness of the Mauritian ICT industry and make relevant recommendations.

The ICT Incubator Centre was set up to promote entrepreneurship development and boost job creation through the provision of logistical and business support to start ups in the ICT sector.

The ICT Culture Promotion Division aims at bridging the digital divide in Mauritius and developing an ICT literate nation.

The Government Online Centre (GOC) is a centralized data centre which supports e-Government initiatives. Equipped with state-of-the-art ICT Infrastructure, the GOC hosts the Government Web Portal which is one-stop-shop providing comprehensive information on Government Services and enabling online applications on a 24x7 basis. 

   Strategies and Objectives

E- Powering people through the promotion of ICT Culture
E- Powering businesses by promoting and developing the ICT industry
E- Powering the public sector by participating in e-Government initiatives

E-Powering People

The NCB spreads ICT literacy and creates awareness on applications and uses of ICT and in so doing contributes to build information society capable to drive the national objective of making of ICT a fifth pillar of the Mauritian economy.

Activities to create an Information Society include:

• Promoting ICT literacy for the public
• Promoting awareness on the benefits of ICT for improving the quality of life
• Promoting ICT for social development

• promoting entrepreneurship in ICT through its incubator center;
• promoting the development of BPOs and ITES;
• Promoting the export market for ICT industry;
• Developing indicators to assess the development of the Information Society in Mauritius;
• Carrying out regular studies to assess the penetration and usage of ICT across the different economic sectors and households;
• Elaborating measures with regards to information security issues at the national level such as spamming; and
• Advising Government on policies and legal framework for the ICT sector.
  

The NCB has been operating an ICT Incubator Centre in Port Louis since January 2003. Some 18 startups have benefited from the services of this facility. The NCB now plans to expand its Incubator Centre to accommodate at least 40 startups in the near future.

The Incubator Centre also runs regular training programmes for startups operating in and outside its perimeters and for Small and Medium Enterprises with focus on the legal, marketing, accounting, management and production aspects as part of their capacity building process for business enhancement. The Center is located at Jade Court in Port Louis.

The Center offers the following facilities

• Fully wired office space at concessionary rates
• Guidance towards access to finance
• Advisory and consultancy services
• Guidance as to emerging trends and technologies in the ICT sector
• Marketing of start ups

The NCB regularly participates in international fairs such as SeCA (Salon Européen des Centres de Contacts et Gestion de la Relation Client) in Paris and the Birmingham Call Centre Expo. The objective is to promote Mauritius as a competing outsourcing destination and provide information to potential outsourcers and investors on developments and achievements in the ICT sector in Mauritius.

Infotech has become the most important NCB driven event for ICT stakeholders in the country. The objectives of this event are among others to showcase and spread emerging technologies and offer a meeting platform for local ICT operators to develop collaboration and deals with potential partners and customers. Over 30 000 people usually visit Infotech.

E-Powering the Public Sector

The NCB provides free hosting facilities and technical assistance for the development of websites and portals of Ministries and Government Departments. These websites are available on the Government Web Portal.

The NCB manages the Government Online Centre a key component of the e-Government initiative that is the main infrastructure enabling e-Government and ensuring the provision of secure government online services to citizens, businessmen and government bodies.

The GOC also provides Internet access and email facilities to employees of Ministries and Departments, offers web site publishing and hosting services and will host common and back-office applications of Ministries and Departments such as Registry, Stores, Personnel Systems, Labour Market Information System, Environment Information System, Central Population Database amongst others.


Activities of the National Computer Board

E - Powering Business

• NCB ICT Incubator Centre
• Technology Awareness Programme for SMEs
• Sensitisation Programme on Entrepreneurship Development
• Entrepreneurship Development Programme for students
• Infotech
• Online Database of ICT Operators
• Online ICT Manpower Database (OIMD)
• National ICT Portal
• Mauritius Gateway Project
• ICT Market Expansion Programme
• Country Profile on potential export markets
• ICT Indicators
• Directory of ICT companies in Mauritius
• Communication support to investors in ICT
• Anti-Spamming Programme
• Information Security Programme
• National Internet Exchange Point (NIXP)
• Computer Security Day
• Advise Government on National policies and legal framework on ICT
• Assist in the framing of national education, training and research plans in ICT

E - Powering People

• IT Literacy and Awareness Programmes (Cyber Caravans)
• IT Empowerment Programme for Unemployed HSC Holders (Cyber Caravans)
• Participate in International events relating to ICT
• ICT Project Competition for tertiary level students
• Website Competition for secondary school students
• ICT Awareness Programmes on Radio and Television
• Community Empowerment Programme
• Universal ICT Education Programme
• ICT Resource Center

E - Powering the Public sector
Government Online Centre (GOC)

• e-services to the public
• Government web portal and Government sub portals
• Hosting of Websites of Ministries and departments
• Hosting of Websites of para-statal bodies
• Design and development of websites
• Government e-mail service
• Government to Government System
• Internet access on the Government Intranet Network Systems
• Internet access to secondary schools and public libraries
• Back Office applications for ministries and government departments

Contact Details

For further information, you may please contact us on the following: