Text size

Dr Michael Regan (left) and the Hon A. K. Bachoo

Dr Michael Regan, Associate Professor of Infrastructure at Bond University (left) with The Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping in Mauritius, the Hon A. K. Bachoo.

Developing projects through private and public finance

30 April 2009

Commonwealth Secretariat holds workshop on Public Private Partnerships with the Government of Mauritius

A series of workshops to promote development projects built by private and public sector finance and expertise has been held in Mauritius.

The latest three-day workshop on Public Private Partnerships (PPP), organised by the Mauritius PPP committee and the Commonwealth Secretariat between 7 and 9 April 2009, looked at how the private sector could work with the government on development projects. It was attended by more than 50 senior officials from various ministries, academics and state-owned enterprises.

The Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping in Mauritius, A K Bachoo, said: “Massive investment is required to meet the growing demand for infrastructure the world over.

What are Public Private Partnerships?

· PPP projects are when the private sector works with public bodies to provide investment or services for development.

· PPPs have been used in the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Malaysia, Australia, and in the Southern African Development Community region on projects including power generation, water and sanitation, prisons, hospitals, stadiums and housing.

· The total revenues worldwide from PPPs in 2007 amounted to US$1.4 billion.

“The partnership between government and the private sector has, in many countries, helped in mobilising the necessary resources to accelerate the implementation of infrastructure projects, and also in improving the quality of services offered to the public.”

Three other workshops have also been held and were attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, ministers, permanent secretaries, mayors, local councillors, senior local government officials, and representatives from the Mauritian private sector.

They were delivered by the Secretariat’s PPP Adviser, Hee Kong Yong, and Associate Professor Dr Michael Regan of Bond University, Australia.

Lead Analyst of the Mauritius PPP Unit, Visvanaden Soondram said: “The workshops were useful in creating awareness of the PPP initiative. The participants will be able to apply what they have learned on the course to practical situations.

“We will make sure that whatever the techniques, concepts or the best practice, whatever has been disseminated through the workshop when developing PPP projects progresses the initiatives."

Deputy Director of Procurement and Supply at the Procurement Policy Office, Arnd Mudhoo, said: “The workshops were important because many public officers may have heard of PPP and they know how it can be used but they have not been exposed to real cases. Now we know what are the risks, the opportunities and how we have to deal with situations.”