How does a disease spread from animals to humans? A lot has to do with people’s behaviour.
COVID stunned the world with an unanticipated pandemic. Now mpox, a disease which originated in animals, has been declared a global public health emergency. In this edited extract from his new book Fighting an Invisible Enemy, virologist Barry Schoub, the founding director of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, looks at how diseases spread from animals to humans.
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Small-Island Solidarity and Climate Common Sense
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Our
Themes
Inclusive Development & Economic Growth
How can we balance economic progress in the Western Indian Ocean region, while reducing poverty, inequality and promoting shared prosperity? This theme reviews national and regional economic trends, innovative approaches to poverty reduction and tools and initiatives that contribute to improving everyone's quality of life equally.

Digital Disruption
What is the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things on the region's economies and societies? Through this theme we explore how these technologies can be leveraged to improve public services, enhance business competitiveness, and create new economic opportunities.

Climate Change
Given the vulnerability of island nations to climate change, this theme examines adaptation strategies such as climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable urban planning, and disaster risk reduction specific to the region.

Sustainable Ocean Management
How can we sustainably manage the vast marine resources of the Indian Ocean? Through this theme we cover topics such as sustainable fisheries management, marine security, geopolitical dynamics and in Indo-Pacific region, and strategies to combat marine pollution. The Centre explores emerging concepts like blue carbon ecosystems and their role in climate mitigation, as well as sustainable tourism practices that protect coral reefs and marine biodiversity while supporting local economies.

About Us

The Charles Telfair Campus with its partner Curtin University planted the seed of the Charles Telfair Centre project as part of its vision to grow and give back to the community.


At conception, the objective of the project was to gather expertise, facts and evidence pertinent to Mauritius and the region and showcase it via a range of dynamic and accessible platforms. By March 2020, the project got swirled into the Covid-19 pandemic. While the crisis forced us to rethink our approach to the project, it certainly did not curb our eagerness to materialise it. On the contrary, we believe the crisis has made the need for an ideas-sharing platform ever more important.


With physical distancing a part of the new normal, the Charles Telfair Centre was launched, in May 2020, via an Inaugural Paper series entitled: “Shaping Mauritius’ future post Covid-19”. We publish, on the Centre’s website, quality contributions in the format of articles, podcast or webinars on topics pertinent to Mauritius and the region.


We encourage authors and community members to participate in the debates and discussions through our comments section. By creating a space for dynamic and constructive exchanges and debate, we can build knowledge and understandings.


The Charles Telfair Centre is an evolving project that will continue to grow and adapt to changing circumstances. As we move to a post-pandemic era, the centre will widen and adapt its activities accordingly.

Our Contributors

The Charles Telfair Centre works with a national and international network of thought leaders and academic experts who contribute to our platform by sharing quality research, analyses and experiences from multidisciplinary perspectives.

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Community
Standards

We wish to foster constructive, respectful and inclusive exchanges within our community of participants. To help us achieve that, we expect all community participants to abide by the following guidelines

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Editorial
Guidelines

The Charles Telfair Centre is a multidisciplinary platform for knowledge sharing and debate in Mauritius. The Centre ambitions to be an interactive platform showcasing independent and rigorous analyses featuring best practices

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Governance
  • Strategic Committee
  • Editorial Committee

Ambassador Usha Chandnee Dwarka-Canabady is currently the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mauritius to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva. Prior to this appointment, Ambassador Dwarka-Canabady was, since November 2015, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mauritius, after having been acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs between April 2013 and October 2015. 

 

She was also Head of the Multilateral Economic Directorate (January 2007 to March 2013) and Head of the Multilateral Political Department (May 2006 to January 2007) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Regional Integration in Port-Louis, Mauritius.

Ms Usha C. Dwarka-Canabady
Ambassador & Permanent Representative to Switzerland & the United Nations

Prior to this role, Jeremy Charoux held a variety of senior management positions at The Coca-Cola Company Southern and East Africa and Unilever Australasia. He has a PhD in Brand strategy and a Masters in Business Administration.

Dr Jeremy Charoux
Executive Director, Charles Telfair Education Group

Raj Makoond also Chairs the Financial Services Institute (FSI), the University of Technology of Mauritius (UTM) and the Business Mauritius Regional Energy Working Group (B.M.R.E.W.G). He was previously the CEO of Business Mauritius and Co-Chaired the Steering Committee on Global Financial Crisis, the Textile Emergency Support Team and the Public-Private Business Facilitation Task Force.

Raj Makoond
Program Director, Eclosia

Gilles Michel is also a non-executive director on several Boards in Mauritius and in Europe, and an advisor to The Eclosia group. After a long career in industry in France and the US, he was chairman and CEO of Imerys when he retired. He is an economist by training who began as an assistant professor at ENSAE. Paris, and then the World Bank, Washington DC.

Gilles Michel
Chairman, Charles Telfair Education Group

Prior to this role, Lina Pelliccione held a number of senior positions at Curtin University since she began in 2001. Her background is in education and innovation, in particular in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Professor Lina Pelliccione
Inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Curtin Mauritius, Curtin University

Myriam Blin is also Head of the Leadership Centre, Charles Telfair Campus. Prior to these roles, she has held various senior academic positions at Aberystwyth University, the Open University and Middlesex Mauritius. Her background is in Political Economy and Gender Economics. She holds a PhD from the University of Manchester.

Dr Myriam Blin
Head, Charles Telfair Centre

Rabin Bhujun has a two-decade-long career in the media in Mauritius. Late 2013, he cofounded online media portal ION News after holding the position of editor in chief at l’express dimanche for 7 years. Rabin studied Law and Political Science at Panthéon-Assas (Paris 2).

Mr Rabin Bhujun
Founder & Lead Consultant, Relate Inc.

Myriam Blin is also Head of Faculty for Accounting, Finance and Law at Curtin Mauritius. Prior to these roles, she has held various senior academic positions at Aberystwyth University, the Open University and Middlesex Mauritius. Her background is in Political Economy and Gender Economics. She holds a PhD from the University of Manchester.

Dr Myriam Blin
Head, Charles Telfair Centre

F.B. Vincent Florens is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biosciences and Ocean Studies, University of Mauritius. His main research interest is in the conservation of biodiversity in tropical terrestrial systems with particular emphasis on the impact of invasive alien species on the biodiversity of tropical forests. Vincent also have an interest in restoration ecology, taxonomy of Mascarene flowering plants and land molluscs, and collaborate on palaeoecology and molecular ecology research projects.

Dr Vincent Florens
Associate Professor of Ecology, University of Mauritius

Marc Israel is an Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, Author and Public Speaker, with more than 30 years of success across Technology industries. After 17 years at Microsoft, serving as CTO for Sub-Saharan Africa, and leveraging extensive experience in technical leadership, Marc founded Aetheis, a company aim at providing executive consultancy in the field of cognitive services, blockchain and digital transformation. 

Marc attained his degree in Robotics and Engineering from École Superieure D’Ingénieurs en Électrotechnique et Électronique in Paris. He has completed INSEAD and Wharton Executive Education (with distinction) programs. Marc is the recipient of many National Public Speaking Award and the author of over 20 books published in French and English on various technical and leadership topics.

Mr Marc Israel
CEO, Aetheis

Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur is Associate Professor in Economics in the Department of Economics and Statistics at the University of Mauritius. She leads the Pole of Research Excellence on Applied Socio-Economic Research and Analysis at the University. Her research areas are international trade, labour markets, gender and development. She has more than 70 publications. She has been involved in a number of research projects and consultancies funded by international and regional institutions like CEEPA, AERC, BIDPA, TIPS, UNCTAD, ILO and World Bank among others.

Dr Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur
Associate Professor in Economics, University of Mauritius
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