Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam has asked Central Bank Governor Rama Krishna Sithanen to step down, according to a report by Le Défi Plus newspaper citing unnamed sources.
Ramgoolam, who also holds the finance minister portfolio, is scheduled to address the media at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the newspaper report, noting only that decisions regarding the central bank fall within the prime minister’s prerogative.
Attempts to reach Sithanen for comment were unsuccessful.
The move follows the resignation of Central Bank Deputy Governor Gérard Sanspeur in August, which came amid weeks of tension between the institution’s top management. At the time, Ramgoolam acknowledged that Sithanen and Sanspeur had been in conflict, describing the situation as unacceptable and promising it would be addressed.
Sithanen began his three-year term as central bank governor in November 2024. He previously served as Mauritius’ finance minister from 2005 to 2010 during one of Ramgoolam’s earlier tenures as prime minister.
