Free internet access is just the beginning—true transformation requires more.
Dr Bippin Makoond – Global CTO Infosys LTD (Strategic Large Deals), Industrial Advisor – Kingston University London, and University of Oxford, Co-founder of Linkology Inc, Co-founder and Inventor of Magian.AI
If Mauritius were to allocate just 0.035% of its GDP (~$5.15M annually) to subsidize daily access to the most advanced AI Large Language Models for every citizen aged 10 and above, it could increase GDP by 5% within a decade—equating to an annual boost of $700 million. This is more than an investment; it’s a down payment on enduring prosperity, offering a 136x return. This paper examines the rationale and strategies for adopting this game-changing approach.
Why the Mauritius Government Internet Access Initiative Alone is Insufficient?
The Mauritian Government’s initiative to offer free internet access marks a vital step toward digital inclusivity. Yet, in a world where artificial intelligence drives economic, social and technological transformation, mere connectivity is not enough. To unlock vast opportunities, Mauritius should strengthen its digital strategy by subsidizing subscriptions for advanced large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. While free open-source LLMs exist, they are like bicycles—adequate for short trips but not built for sustained, high-speed journeys.
In contrast, proprietary models are high-performance vehicles offering superior features, scalability, and dedicated support. Subsidizing these advanced tools will ensure a robust digital transformation, propelling Mauritius toward a knowledge-driven economy. These AI tools provide unparalleled access to knowledge, driving continuous learning, digital literacy, and innovation—key pillars of a thriving knowledge-based economy.
According to a PwC report, artificial intelligence is poised to add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, boosting global GDP by as much as 14%. Embracing AI is essential for Mauritius to achieve its vision of becoming a diversified and high-income economy.
For this, Mauritius must tackle barriers to advanced AI technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs), which remain out of reach for many due to high costs and technical complexities.
These sophisticated tools from leaders like OpenAI, and Google DeepMind are critical for unlocking the next level of digital transformation and societal resilience. To fully harness the potential of its digital infrastructure, the Mauritian government should consider subsidizing these AI resources, thus bridging digital divides, learning inequity and catalysing productivity across education, healthcare, finance, and tourism sectors. Following global leaders like Singapore and Estonia, Mauritius can champion AI-driven growth in Africa and beyond.
LLMs can revolutionize education and the workplace with personalized, multilingual learning solutions, enhance business through insightful data analytics, and break down language barriers, fostering inclusivity.
They can also improve healthcare diagnostics and streamline business operations.
Investing in broad access to AI tools can amplify the benefits of free internet, driving sustained growth and innovation in Mauritius. By fostering more informed policy-making and resource allocation, this approach strengthens economic progress and positions the country as an innovative leader, attracting global investment and talent.
Beyond economic expansion, AI access plays a crucial role in enhancing human capital. A digitally adept workforce is essential for sustainable growth, and integrating AI with free internet through user-friendly applications can empower citizens, fuel innovation, and boost national resilience in the global digital landscape. Moreover, subsidizing AI tools can promote a more equitable society, ensuring that technological advancements contribute to inclusive and long-term prosperity.
Why will LLMs help? A Focus on Education
The integration of AI Large Language Models (LLMs) into Mauritius’s educational system presents an opportunity to significantly enhance its economic and social landscape, drawing lessons from the successes of countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, and the UAE. These nations have achieved, to varying degrees, rapid growth through substantial educational investment, creating knowledge-based economies empowered by well-equipped citizens to thrive in global markets.
Education serves as a universal catalyst for development, adaptable to various cultural, geographical, and governmental contexts, making it a strategic focus for Mauritius. AI is a key tool for levelling the educational playing field. With limited resources but high ambitions for digital transformation, AI presents a strategic avenue for Mauritius to diversify and modernize educational content, making learning accessible to all citizens regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location.
It also holds the potential to serve as a substitute for the pervasive problem of private tuition in Mauritius, which remains widespread, with a significant majority of students relying on paid tutoring. As demand for private tuition continues to grow amidst rising costs, AI-driven education could provide an affordable and scalable alternative, ensuring equitable learning opportunities for all.
A knowledge-based economy, like South Korea’s, thrives not only through investments in educational infrastructure and digitized classrooms but through a profound mindset shift. Education evolves beyond a phased model—primary, secondary, and tertiary—into a lifelong continuum where the workplace becomes a “learning temple.”
In this “fourth phase”, the workplace encourages eternal learners, fostering experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration. Leaders shift from ego-driven bosses to custodians of growth, nurturing agile teams where lessons learned fuel collective progress. Mauritius must instil this mindset in its citizens, starting with educators who can embed this philosophy in children from an early age.
By embracing education as a lifelong journey, from preschool through the workplace, education becomes the glue that defines purpose, empowering individuals to transform the world. AI will enable Mauritius to achieve this transformation without requiring massive investments, applying the Pareto principle—small efforts yielding significant results.
Strategically adopting AI and educational innovation positions Mauritius to elevate its economic profile, establishing a resilient, knowledge-driven economy capable of addressing future challenges. Investing in AI strengthen human capital, laying the foundation for sustainable growth, strengthening global competitiveness, and ensuring long-term economic success.
How do we proceed?
The proposed framework for integrating AI Large Language Models (LLMs) into Mauritius’s educational and public service sectors necessitates a strategic, multi-faceted plan focused on clear objectives, infrastructure development, equitable access, and sustainability.
Initial phases should align objectives with Mauritius’s national development agendas, ensuring societal advancement through democratizing education and improving public services.
A key component of this framework is a bespoke, AI-powered mobile application designed specifically for Mauritius. This custom solution will deliver personalized support across education, the workplace, and public services through a user-friendly interface that offers multimodal interaction and advanced personalization. By supporting multiple languages—including Mauritian Creole—the app ensures every citizen can access vital information in their native tongue.
For example, a plumber could receive real-time technical advice and business management tips in Creole, while a schoolteacher might access tailored lesson plans and educational resources in both Creole and other languages. Similarly, a vegetable seller at a local bazaar could tap into market insights, weather forecasts, and inventory management tips, all designed to optimize daily operations and boost profitability. By addressing the unique linguistic and practical needs of Mauritians, this targeted solution promises to drive a robust digital transformation, fostering a truly inclusive, knowledge-driven society.
Infrastructure development is crucial, involving expanding internet access, providing necessary hardware, and establishing partnerships with cloud service providers to ensure LLM scalability and sustainability.
Integrating AI into the curriculum is a pivotal step towards transforming education and workforce readiness. This requires developing AI-driven educational modules and equipping educators with the tools to adopt personalized and innovative teaching methods. Establishing a dedicated AI proficiency programme—modelled after Mauritius’ successful Computer Proficiency Programme (CPP)—will empower educators and employees alike to harness the full potential of AI technologies, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Beyond education, AI holds the power to revolutionize public services by enhancing healthcare, streamlining public administration, and bolstering public safety. From supporting accurate medical diagnostics to improving service delivery, AI can drive efficiency and elevate the quality of life across the nation, reinforcing Mauritius’s journey toward a knowledge-driven economy.
Successful AI integration requires collaborations with experts, institutions, and the private sector to drive innovation and develop tailored solutions for Mauritius. Establishing a regulatory framework will ensure ethical AI usage, encompassing data privacy, ethical guidelines, and compliance mechanisms.
Consistent funding must be secured through national and international sources. Monitoring, transparency, and adaptability are essential, employing performance metrics and transparency initiatives to maintain relevance and build trust. By implementing this framework, Mauritius can enhance societal growth and lead in regional AI adoption, ensuring sustainable development.
How much will it cost?
The initiative to supply multiple AI access to one million citizens of Mauritius is underpinned by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis intended to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for substantial societal advantages. This strategy involves budgetary considerations for the extensive deployment of AI, focusing primarily on token usage expenses.
The government will finance daily access of 20,000 words per person, which translates to roughly 26,667 LLM tokens per individual each day. With 1 million users, that amounts to about 26.67 billion tokens daily, culminating in an annual total of approximately 9.73 trillion tokens.
Token costs are split between input tokens—priced at about $0.15 per million tokens—and output tokens at around $0.60 per million tokens. Assuming an equal distribution between input and output tokens, the annual cost for input tokens comes to approximately $729,900, and output tokens to about $2,919,600, yielding a combined annual token expenditure of roughly $3.65 million. Adding an estimated $1.5 million for software application support and maintenance, training, user adoption, marketing, and branding brings the total annual expenditure to about $5.15 million.
This total represents a mere 0.035% of Mauritius’s estimated 2023 GDP of $14.4 billion—a modest investment poised to deliver transformative benefits by boosting productivity and stimulating economic growth.
By investing a small fraction of its GDP, Mauritius aims to innovate by democratizing access to state-of-the-art AI for all citizens, thus enhancing communication, educational opportunities, and productivity. The initiative is strategic, emphasizing the empowerment of individuals through AI tools, which can enhance efficiencies across sectors, promote accelerated learning, and contribute to overall economic rejuvenation.
This proposition positions Mauritius as a pioneer in national AI integration, showcasing how a nation can harness technology to propel economic and social advancement. The initiative is not merely an expenditure but an investment promising significant returns through enhanced citizen capabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader economy and individual lives alike.
What will be the ROI?
AI’s capability to streamline tasks and automate processes could enhance workforce productivity by up to 40%. Even a modest 5% increase in efficiency could inject $700 million into Mauritius’s annual GDP. This translates to a remarkable 136-fold return on investment (ROI) from a $5.15 million national AI initiative.
Beyond productivity gains, AI-driven upskilling is projected to raise employment rates by 10-20%, creating high-value jobs, expanding the tax base, and fostering economic mobility. Strategic AI adoption in key sectors—such as agriculture, fintech, and healthcare—positions Mauritius as a tech-driven innovation hub. By boosting crop yields, optimizing financial services, and enhancing healthcare delivery, AI could attract $50-$100 million in annual foreign direct investment, strengthening Mauritius’s economic resilience.
Furthermore, AI’s transformative impact extends to governance and sustainability. Smart automation optimizes resource allocation, reduces costs, and enhances long-term economic stability. These advancements align with Mauritius’s sustainable development goals, ensuring inclusive growth while promoting environmental responsibility.
Risks and Mitigation Strategies
The widespread adoption of AI in Mauritius presents great opportunities but also brings critical challenges that must be addressed to ensure equitable and sustainable progress. One of the most obvious concerns is workforce displacement, as AI automation threatens to disrupt traditional jobs, particularly in low-skilled sectors. To mitigate this impact, investment in reskilling and digital literacy programs will enable workers to transition into AI-augmented roles and participate meaningfully in the evolving economy.
Another key challenge is data privacy and security risks. As AI adoption grows, so do vulnerabilities related to data protection. Ensuring robust AI governance frameworks, enforcing strict data protection laws, and aligning with international cybersecurity standards are crucial steps to safeguard personal and national data from misuse or breaches.
Unequal access to AI tools risks exacerbating the digital divide, with urban areas potentially benefiting far more than rural communities. To bridge this gap, targeted digital inclusion initiatives should be implemented, including subsidized AI access and the development of localized AI applications tailored to diverse demographics. Such measures will ensure that the advantages of AI-driven innovation reach all citizens, fostering inclusive development.
Finally, Mauritius must be mindful of its dependence on foreign AI technologies. Relying heavily on proprietary AI models could pose national security and sovereignty risks. To counter this, investing in local AI talent, promoting research in open-source AI, and developing homegrown AI solutions tailored to the country’s unique needs will be critical in securing technological independence and long-term resilience.
Mauritius stands at a pivotal moment where AI investment is not just an option but a strategic imperative. Embracing AI can drive sustainable growth, optimize resources, and reduce costs, ensuring long-term economic stability. By unlocking new opportunities and fostering inclusive prosperity, AI adoption aligns with Mauritius’s vision for a resilient, innovative, and sustainable future.
Charles Telfair Centre is an independent nonpartisan not for profit organisation and does not take specific positions. All views, positions, and conclusions expressed in our publications are solely those of the author(s).
Main photo by Freepik
Great reflection on the matter. However, someone expressed the situation in Mauritius, just yesterday, that it feels like the mind is willing but the body lacks the stamina. Unfortunately Mauritius has been getting on by learning while doing but the collective strategic planning has been missing. As a physically small country we have been able to gain access to excellent connectivity at almost all household levels (think of people watching TV over optical fibre or mobile broadband in almost every household). I would argue that the cost of connectivity is not high in this country. So the conditions for people to be able to access AI facilities (locally or in the cloud, or in a local cloud) is realistic.
But, how are we going to ensure that the whole population benefits from working in a smarter way? Should we also not ensure that we have solid foundations on all aspects of use of connectivity? Mauritius used to be first in Africa on the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) until a few years ago. We have great Infrastructure, we have great Human Capacity (although we could do better than 90% on literacy rate) but we find that the use of online e-services is still very low. Why is that? Is it because we have not focused enough on facilitating our population to enhance its digital skills as the tools became more available? What happened to the amazing online tools we started using during COVID, which we rapidly gave up on soon after the lockdown periods were over? We even had an online system to cover part of the school curriculum during COVID, which could have been continued and expanded to provide support to those who are able to learn even after they have left the schooling system (or the system left them behind?).
Indeed, being small and smart, our country should be able to leapfrog into the good practices of digitalization and learn from the experiences of Estonia’s X-Road, the EU around Open DataSpace and India on Digital Public Infrastructure. And then to get on with better organising ourselves to work smart through online tools (and not have to queue up to pay for your road registration beyond a private car; or still see people going to the Civil Status Office with a Rs 25 stamp to get a copy of their Birth Certificate when MauPass exists). While this is happening, we can then have a few people working on training our LLMs to speak and provide automatic voice translation etc. in Kreol or Bhojpuri, but my key message here is that AI will not work efficiently unless society is also better organised to tap into the potential that it offers.
Remember, small is beautiful, small is agile, small has lower costs of failure and Mauritians excel at finding ways to make things work when faced with complexity… so why not already start with your ideas?