Q&A

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, biodiversity scientist, entrepreneur and the first female President of Mauritius – a post she held from 2015 to 2018 – was the cover of FORBES WOMAN AFRICA in June 2017. In this interview in September, she dwells on what lies ahead for her and the country of Mauritius:

Q. Mauritius is one of the most biodiverse hotspots with a multi-ethnic population. And we always hear about permaculture and organic farming and the country s great talent for agriculture. How are you dabbling with plants now?

I'm still singing about the virtues of plants, and I keep on publishing many books to speak to the younger people and the general public... But beyond this, we have seen, for example, last year, when the president of Madagascar came and spoke about the benefits of artemisinin, which is an antiviral in the treatment of Covid. It's only [recently] I'm seeing that the WHO is going back to the drawing board