Addressing the National Assembly on 23rd June during the 2008/2009 budget debates, the Prime Minister pointed out that the budget is a critical building block in the country's attempt to construct a modern and wealthy nation.

He recalled that one of the key principles of the economic policies of the Government is to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are felt by all the citizens, stating that:

"We must ensure that we dedicate the appropriate resources needed to help the poor in removing the barriers to their life chances."

On this score, the Prime Minister argued that the 2008/2009 budget demonstrates that the Government has a "relentless drive" to combat poverty in all its forms.

He added that Government is tackling the issue of poverty on several fronts at the same time, focusing on education, housing and gender.

The Prime Minister further recalled that the vibrant economic diplomacy has been one of the key ingredients of the economic success of Mauritius after independence.

Dr Ramgoolam suggested that the economic diplomacy missions he has personally led have succeeded in making the voice of ‘our remote, small country' heard amongst a host of influential global economic players.

He cited, amongst other outcomes, the increase of funds allocated to ACP countries by the EU in the wake of the sugar reforms; the return of Agence Francaise de Developpement to Mauritius, special relationships with India and China, and the Tianli Development project involving a massive investment of Rs20bn.

With regard to the problem of food security, the Prime Minister stated that the "new paradigm" is that Mauritius needs to show resilience and be innovative.