Can technology allow us re-invent Mauritius?

“In 2050, more than 9 billion people will live on our planet. With no major changes, we will need the resources of 3 planets to meet the demands of this growing population.” This quote is not from me but from the Forum of European players in the Chemical Industry trying to figure out their responsibility in preparing anticipating the future. What the future will be made of is really the key question?

Since I was 10, I was fascinated by the books my late dad was reading: Alvin Toffler, the famous futurologist on ‘Future Shock’ and ‘Thriving on Chaos’ by the innovation guru, Tom Peters were the key ingredients forcing me develop a paradigm-shift attitude and out-of-the-box thinking in everything I do. “If we do not think, I said to myself, we are useless” – ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’, as goes the famous philosophical proposition by René Descartes. This is why also I am an addict of science fiction movies, as they do project us in the future with the power of thinking and building interesting scenarios.

The history of technology is intimately linked to the invention of tools and techniques throughout the evolution of Humanity. Today, technology is a strong determinant of human destiny in the universe. Technology is allowing man to push barriers beyond the imaginary in a number of fields. Space exploration, automotive design, 3-D printing, robotics, nano-technology, medical science, genetic engineering… nothing is spared by the strides of technology.

Iron Man is today not just science fiction! Man-Machine-Information fusion is today a tangible reality. Japanese robot-maker Cyberdyne has last year already received its global safety certificate. This company has produced metal-and-plastic exo-skeletons, The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL), which is a power-assisted pair of legs/limbs which detects muscle impulses to anticipate and support the user’s body movements, designed to help the elderly and physically-challenged persons with mobility or help hospital or nursing carers to lift patients. This is a highly positive contribution of technology to Life.

But technology also raises a number of interrogations about the extent to which man can continue interfere with nature and hence impact on the quality of life of next generations to come. Technology may also have negative impacts on the future as we are all living in a fragile bubble than can implode or explode anytime? The issue of cloning human beings for instance, or the controversial genetic manipulation of food and grains are much debated topics where business and economic interests are conflicting openly with the respect of life and choice of inhabitants of the Earth, basically of worlds’ consumers. Who then establishes the balance and ensure a sense of justice is being exerted? The free market system, which is driven solely by profits – or ethics, integrity and values – represented by religions and various NGOs and groups of people fighting for fundamental noble causes and universal rights? Can we look for solutions to these deep philosophical concerns in religions and holy scriptures revealed to mankind throughout history or do we trust the homo-oeconomicus, who, as a producer has to optimize profit and as a consumer, has to look for maximum pleasure? Can we limit the value of life to these two parameters only?

Now in the world of business, digital technology is transferring power to the consumers so that a major revolution is taking place. We talk of the “power of one” referring to the consumer who intelligently uses technology embedded in mobility to voice out appreciation or complaints throughout cyberspace by being connected to millions of people. Digital technology is in fact accelerating the destiny of brands in a way that they make “One” in the life of consumers quicker, allowing higher and higher levels of experience to take place. What matters then is to what extent the brand is true to itself so that it builds the right conversations, with the sincerity embedded in its very genetic code, loyal to its essence.

What about Mauritius now? Can we become a nation surfing on the power of technology or will we depend on external sources as in so many fields? What is the degree of inventiveness of our people? We do have a quite dynamic SME sector with lots of risky entrepreneurs but very few technopreneurs in the field of information technology but what about inventors and people trying to find completely new ways of doing things? Does it make sense to create a Technology Council that could spark off Research and Application in highly targeted fields? Under such an organization the Mauritius Research Council, Industry and Academia could converge in creating our Nation of the future. I would like to launch a quite innovative idea here that could help us in using technology to create our future. Why not create a Fab Lab the MIT way? That would be an excellent idea where we could create employment for tech-savvy youths around highly-innovative ideas and see how 3-D printing could become for example a reality in Mauritius. A Fab Lab would ideally regroup the NCB, Academia, may be the NEF and the DBM with some private sector players.

This year we are celebrating our 47th year of Independence. May be that could be appropriate for some thinking and action about how Gen X, Y (and why not, Z) can put their heads together and try re-invent the future of Mauritius now!