Government has the obligation to ensure that the benefits of Information and Communication technologies reach each and every citizen and make a significant improvement in their lives, said the Prime Minister on May 17 at the inauguration of the Government On-line Centre at the Ebene Cyber Tower. 

In his address, Mr Paul Bérenger  recalled that the primary objective of the government is to transform Mauritius into an Information society and develop the ICT sector into the fifth pillar of the economy.  The aim of the e-Government programme is to bring  Government closer to the people by providing effective, efficient and customer centred public services round the clock through the use of ICT, he said. 

“ We cannot, in this digital era”, said the Prime Minister, “ allow our citizens to continue to stand in long queues or be subjected to the dictates of the tranche horaire 9 to 4 which have for too long characterized the services in the public sector”.

 The Prime Minister also expressed his satisfaction that some 37,000 people, including housewives and senior citizens have undergone training on the basics about computers and the internet through the Computer Proficiency Programme. 

“ This is a clear indication that people are conscious of the benefits of ICT and are very ready to adopt the ICT culture”, he said, adding that availability of  Government services online will serve no purpose if our citizens do not have access to or are not comfortable with computers.

The Prime Minister  further commended the ICT Authority and the Mauritius Post Limited for their excellent initiative of setting up community access points in post offices across the island where computers will be available and access to internet free.  

Such initiatives, he said ,  will help speed up the process for Mauritius to join the league of knowledge economies and intelligent nations. 

 The Government Online Centre  which is situated at the Ebene Cybertower is an essential component of the e-Government programme.  It is the backbone carrier for the Government portal through which  the population can interact with Government anytime, with the assurance  of absolute confidentiality. 

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