The 14th edition of the Indian Ocean Islands Economic Forum opened this Tuesday at the Dembéni Technopole. Several hundred entrepreneurs from the region will debate until Thursday, notably about food autonomy according to the vice-president of the department in charge of economic development.
The Dembéni technology park, inaugurated this Monday, is already being used. This Tuesday, November 5, it is hosting the 14th edition of the Indian Ocean Islands Economic Forum. Several hundred entrepreneurs are gathered until Thursday around the theme of regional production. “It's an opportunity, we mobilized so that it was at the technopole, a site dedicated to supporting project leaders. This is a significant point for the economy of Mayotte“, notes Bibi Chanfi, the vice-president of the department in charge of economic development.
According to her, the priority will be food sovereignty. “We need to start producing locally, or in the region, and promote short circuits.“, explains the elected official. “We were able to see how covid impacted us, we who are on an island territory with a lot of imports from outside.“A scenario that presented itself again at the beginning of the year, when shipowners announced that they would no longer pass through the Suez Canal after missile attacks from Yemeni rebels.
“We can promote among each other projects that can work in other territories“, she continues. “The challenge is first of all to be able to consume locally, then we will talk about exporting when we have sufficient production.“For this, the elected representative recalls that the department has been supporting the structuring of agricultural sectors for several years.
