Mauritius Launches National AI Strategy 2025–2029 and FAIR Guidelines

Mauritius formally launched its National AI Strategy 2025–2029 alongside a companion ethics framework, the FAIR Guidelines, at a ceremony in Phoenix on 9 April 2026. The launch was led by Dr Avinash Ramtohul, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, with the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Lisa Simrique Singh, among the attendees.

What FAIR Stands For

The guidelines are built around four principles — Fairness, Accountability, Inclusiveness and Integrity, and Responsibility — intended to govern the ethical development and use of AI across the country. Notably, the framework is designed to be vendor-neutral and border-agnostic: any AI system operating in Mauritius, regardless of who built it, is expected to meet the same standards.

Built Through Consultation

The strategy wasn't drafted behind closed doors. It emerged from a multi-stakeholder consultation process spanning government institutions, the private sector, startups, academia, and civil society, developed with support from UNDP's Digital, AI and Innovation Hub.

What Comes With It

Three concrete structures accompany the strategy: a newly established government AI Unit to manage implementation, a citizen-facing AI assistant named DIVA, and a Regional AI Marketplace intended to connect startups, businesses, and public institutions across Africa.

For a small island economy, the strategy signals an attempt to lead with governance rather than retrofit it — putting ethics and inclusion into the foundation of the country's AI ambitions before the technology scales further.