'Mauritius to protect and empower women' - Prime Minister
Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, announced on Tuesday that the Government will protect and empower women, by offering them financial assistance to launch their businesses in the small and medium enterprises sector.
This financial assistance will take the forms of no guarantee loans of Rs 100,000 with no interest rate up to eight years with a moratorium of five years; and a loan of Rs 1 million at a fixed interest rate of 5% over five years with one-year moratorium under the COVID-19 Special Support Scheme.
Speaking on International Women’s Day, which fell on Tuesday, Mr Jugnauth recalled the Government's commitment to integrate gender into all development planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation policies. This will serve as an effective tool for public and private sectors, media, non-governmental institutions and other institutions to promote gender equality.
According to him, Mauritius has progressed on the Gender Global Gap Report 2021 of the World Economic Forum, moving from 115 in 2020 to 110 in 2021.
Mr Jugnauth further reiterated the Government’s commitment to fight domestic violence, inequality and discrimination against women and to work on legislations and institutional changes in support of women.
-0- PANA NA/MA 9March2022
