During his stay, he will address 40 members of the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI), Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ZNCCIA), Zanzibar Association of Tour Operators (ZATO) on Wednesday, 7 June at The Serena Hotel, in a developmental talk entitled Transforming Zanzibar by promoting Foreign Direct Invest to Eradicate Poverty. He will also meet with prominent government officials during his visit.
“Dr Sithanen has fast become instrumental to the development of Zanzibar Amber Resort and Zanzibar Tourism,” explains Saleh. “I firmly believe in working together and extracting every ounce of knowledge I can from those that have already succeeded in what I am about to do. It will be a great privilege for him to share his expertise and his experience with the stakeholders who can grasp his plethora of proficiency and furthermore action it accordingly.”
With 37 years of experience, Dr Sithanen worked in the private sector as an economist and held senior positions as a director in the national airline, a director of strategy at the African Development Bank and an international consultant and an adviser, working in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
In 1991 his political career began as minister of finance for Mauritius until 1995, where he was involved in shaping policies to diversify the economic base of the country. In 2005, he was re-elected to parliament as deputy prime minister and minister of finance. During this time, he initiated and implemented bold institutional, policy and fiscal reforms that turned the economy around. When the global economic crisis hit in 2008, he enforced stimulus measures that softened the impact on Mauritius.
Furthermore, in 2009 he was honoured by the president with the highest mark of distinction of grand commander of the Order of the Star and Key. With many accolades behind his name and pathing the way for countries to achieve economic success, he is now chairman and director of International Financial Services, one of the largest wealth management solution companies in Mauritius. He is also chairman of the Rwanda Development Board since 2013 and was adviser to the Government of Rwanda and tax, competitiveness and financial services issues between 2013 and 2015.
“Inviting Dr Sithanen to visit Zanzibar is a strategic move and will be fundamental to the growth of Zanzibar’s economy and tourism especially in learning what factors contributed towards Mauritius’ growth. He is also very much aware of the major development challenges facing African and small island economies and can advise accordingly with great value,” said Saleh, “it is my hope that the Zanzibar government will stay open to the possibilities of transformation.”
