In light of the growing need to be innovative and responsive to today's competitive environment and to the globalisation phenomenon, business activities cannot afford to stop at 5pm. Instead the economy should continue to function efficiently and smoothly round-the-clock, in order to respond to the challenges posed.

Many countries/cities such as Singapore, New York, London and Mumbai responded to the globalisation challenges much earlier and are already functioning on a 24/7 mode. To maintain or enhance their international competitiveness, many others are expected to emulate these pace-setters, including Mauritius. Indeed, Mauritius is now standing at the crossroads. We have already lost many of our preferential trade benefits and the threat of global recession is looming. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete with low-cost, emerging economies in traditional sectors such as textile. Furthermore, we are already witnessing a gradual move towards the adoption of a 24/7 culture. The latent demand from the Mauritian population for more entertainment, leisure and social activities after 5pm has prompted many shopping centres and hypermarkets to extend their opening hours up to 10pm for some.

In addition, we believe that our nation needs to set ambitious goals in order to be able to meet all the above challenges and successfully attain the levels of growth and development necessary for a modern Mauritius.