Avinash Meetoo

Let us build a Smart Mauritius together

Science

Emerging Technologies for a Sustainable Future during the National Science Week 2024

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On Thursday 28 March 2024, I was invited to make a presentation on “Emerging Technologies for a Sustainable Future” with the important subtitle of “And how important young people are for Mauritius”. This was during the National Science Week 2024 organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre at the Côte d’Or National Complex.

During my talk, I explained to a large group of young students of Grades 10-13 (Form IV to VI) what Vision 2030 is for Mauritius, how technology and innovation are important enablers to achieve this vision, how the country is facing major challenges (as is the rest of the world) and how, if we want to achieve a sustainable future, we need to have a critical mass of young professionals in green technologies and also in emerging technologies. I told the students that they are the “peopleware” of Mauritius and they are more important than hardware and/or software.

At the end, I also told them that while Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are essential subjects, it is also important for them to develop their soft skills. Finally, I also told them to develop an artistic side in order to see further ahead…

A big thank you to the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre for organising such an interesting event with a special mention for Dr Ellora Dhunnoo, Dr Aman Maulloo, Dr Bhamini Kamudu and Ms Natasha Nastali.

Towards Smart Citizens and a Smart Mauritius with Artificial Intelligence

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On Saturday 2 December, I gave a talk titled “Towards Smart Citizens and a Smart Mauritius with Artificial Intelligence” at the PGD Conference 2023 hosted by Publicis Global Delivery in Ébène.

I focused on the intersection between technology (including emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence), innovation and policy-making in order to create a Smart Mauritius. I highlighted the importance of generating a critical mass of smarter citizens and how Artificial Intelligence can be a formidable tool to help achieve this vision. Specifically, I discussed Generative AI and Large Language Models like ChatGPT, emphasising their applications in education and the workplace.

During the Q&A session, I addressed ways for the private sector to contribute to national long-term projects. We also discussed about how to properly use Generative AI in the classroom as well as effective methods to teach computer science and software engineering. Additionally, I engaged the audience with a quiz about the Internet, Google and Linux, even awarding a prize!

Special thanks to Vishwadev Bhundhoo, Ashmal Ramburn, Vikesh Joypaul, Yashin Soraballee and François Bredel from Publicis Global Delivery for having invited me to participate in this interesting event.

Discovering Ghana through Digital Transformation

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I recently came back from Accra, Ghana, where I spoke at a workshop about Digital Transformation, Digital Public Goods and Digital Public Infrastructure. Around 50 people from different parts of the Ghanaian government attended.

In my talks, I shared how Mauritius is progressing in the technology sector and how we are in the process to submit Digital Public Goods to the DPG Alliance. I emphasised using technology, including emerging technologies, like IoT, Blockchain, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence to reach our goals. Drawing from my academic background, I highlighted how AI assistants (based on similar technologies as ChatGPT) can help create smart citizens in both Mauritius and Ghana. The Q&A sessions after each talk were lively and engaging.

I also got to hear from Jason Hickey, Head of Google Research in Accra, Ghana. He discussed Google’s research in predicting weather, improving ultrasound images using affordable sensors and translating local languages into text, inter alia. All these research projects were done using AI.

The workshop was organised by the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE), the UNDP Chief Digital Office and the UNDP Ghana Country Office. Special thanks to Fred Yeboah, Jacqueline Tsuma and Seth Akumani.

Ghana and its people are amazing, and I wish them all the best.