Mauritius has gained (EUD) 10.2 million funding on from the European Union to combat poverty

 In addition, a heightened focus on the autonomous outer island of Rodrigues is a priority, where the needs for food security, childbirth and child health issues are more “noticeable” and require urgent attention, than in Mauritius.

According to the MDGs statistics of the EU, although Mauritius is on track too reaching there MDG forecasting goals, vulnerable groups are below the national average, and are a concern.The Mauritian government says it will address the “disparities” that exist between vulnerable groups and proposed forecasting projects to stem poverty through the new program.

Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development,Xavier-Luc Duval said that “While Mauritius is on track to achieve most of the Millennium evelopment gaols, more efforts will be put in to provide additional assistance to the vulnerable segments of the population.”

“The proposed programme will focus on 10 000 of the poorest families, 7000 in Mauritius and 3000 in Rodrigues. The objective here is to bring those families to the national average,” Duval added in a statement to Journalists.

The additional provision of financial assistance originates as acknowledgment of the respectable results attained by Mauritius under the EU-Mauritius collaboration in the MDG, Ambassador of the European Union in Mauritius, Alessandro Mariani pointed out.

However, political pundits in the country and Mauritian media have in the recent past criticized funding in Mauritius by the EU, and Africa as a whole, by stipulating that funding provided is in exchange for sugar industry deals and exclusive fishing permits in Mauritius for the European Commission and Asian countries like India for corporate tax agreements

The EU funding comes after the recent Word Bank announcement of 35 million USD to be granted to the island republic, apparently to lift private sector competition, public sector reforms and ease poverty in the country.

Mauritius benefitted from the grant for ranking amongst 19 countries, which have best performed well among all African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) countries, which includes Kenya and Uganda and a host of African union member nations.

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