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- Why Invest in Mauritius?
An attractive and thriving place for business with an incomparable art de vivre, Mauritius is the perfect home to the citizen of the world. The island is often referred internationally as the “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”. “Star” for its strategic location on the network of air and sea routes between Asia, Europe and Africa and “Key” as an international financial hub of excellence that ‘unlocks’ business opportunities and access to the African continent.
Mauritius has the most enabling and appealing business environment in the the sub-Saharan African region. Politically stable and fully secured, the island enforces a strong independent hybrid judiciary system based on the French Code Civil and the British legal System. It has strong public and private supporting and collaborative institutions and a working democracy with a free press. Mauritius ranked among the 21 countries considered as “Full Democracy” by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2022 and is the only country in Africa to be considered as such.
Local labour force is bilingual, often trilingual with English and French being the main languages used together with the native creole. The rate of literacy is about 93%. The opening up of the economy has had a favourable impact on the growth rate of the country with increased transfer of technology, knowledge, talents and capital. In its pursuit to become a high-income economy, Mauritius is actively encouraging foreign talents, know-how and investment into the country.
Whether you are an investor, a professional, a self-employed or a retired non-citizen, there are a number of compelling reasons to consider Mauritius as your location for doing business and living. Foreign nationals wishing to work, live or retire in Mauritius may explore various avenues either through the Occupation Permit, the Residence Permit or the Permanent Residence Permit.
Key Facts
Mauritius being a diverse and multicultural nation of 1.3 million people, offers a range of investment opportunities in different sectors.
Its ease of doing business ranking and stable governance creates the perfect business climate possible.
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Market Access
The Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in October 2019 after only 4 rounds of negotiations. The FTA, which came into force on 1 January 2021, is the first agreement which Mauritius has signed comprising a text on Trade in Services.
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Why mauritius
- Broad-based Economy
- Good Governance
- Accolades / Benchmarks
- International Financial Centre
- Telecommunications
- Air Connectivity
- Port Connectivity
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- A Competitive, Well-Diversified & Broad-Based Economy
Over the years, Mauritius has crafted a strong growth-oriented developmental path which has enabled us to achieve one of the highest per capita income in Africa. Indeed, from USD 400 in 1968 when we obtained our independence, our development strategy has propelled us in the league of high-income countries with a GNI per capita of USD 10,243 (RS 456,864) in 2022. This strategy, built on a combination of political stability, strong institutional framework, and favorable regulatory environment have established the foundation for economic development, while open trade policies have been key in sustaining growth, gradually transforming Mauritius from a monocrop economy dependent on sugar cane as main source of foreign earnings in the 1960s into a competitive, well-diversified and broad-based economy and is now open for investment in over 15 sectors of activity.
- A Competitive, Well-Diversified & Broad-Based Economy
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- Good Governance and Investor Protection
Mauritius is a beacon of political, social and economic stability. With its wide network of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs), Mauritius offers investors a conducive environment for doing business which guarantees predictability, certainty and security. Mauritius is currently home to the followingarbitral institution:the Permanent Representative Office of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
- Good Governance and Investor Protection
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- International Accolades / Benchmarks
Mauritius is amongst the top 20 countries in the world for ease of doing business and has over the years consolidated its leadership position in Sub Saharan Africa. This acknowledgement by the World Bank confirms that Mauritius remains a competitive and attractive jurisdiction for the international investors’ community. To further streamline processes and facilitate ease of doing business in Mauritius, the Economic Development Board, in collaboration with the European Union have officially launched the National Electronic Licensing System (NELS) on Thursday 28th March 2019.
The main objective of implementing a National Electronic Licensing System is to offer a single point of entry for application, payment and determination of business-related licences and permits.
As part of the reforms underway, a Business Process Reengineering exercise is being carried out to streamline processes for the determination of 140 business-related licenses and permits across 14 ministries. The setting up of NELS reaffirms the commitment of the Government to enhance our technological capabilities in addressing regulatory challenges. - List of International Accolades / Benchmarks
- World Bank Doing Business 2020
13 out of 190 Countries
1st in Africa - Global Competitiveness Index 2019 – World Economic Forum
52 out of 141 Countries
1st in Africa - Corruption Perceptions Index 2021 (Transparency International)
49 out of 180 Countries
2nd in Africa - International Property Rights Index 2021
42 out of 129 Countries
1st in Africa - MO Ibrahim Index of Africa Governance 2020
1st in Africa - Press Freedom Index 2022 – (Reporters without Borders)
64 out of 180 countries
5th in Africa - The A.T Kearney Global Services Index 2019
30 out of 50 countries
2nd in Africa - Index of Economic Freedom – (Heritage Foundation) 2022
30 out of 180 countries
1st in Africa - Economic Freedom of the World 2022 – (Fraser Institute)
9 out of 165 countries
1st in Africa - Human Development Index 2020
66 out of 188 countries
2nd in Africa - Democracy Index 2021 – The Economist Intelligent Unit – Full Democracy
19 out of 167 countries
1st in Africa - Mercer’s 2019 Quality of Living Survey
83 out of 230 countries
1st in Africa - Forbes Survey of Best Countries for Business 2019
39 out of 161 countries
1st in Africa - The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness 2019
54 out of 136 countries
1st in Africa - Social Progress Index 2021
45 out of 149 countries
1st in Africa - Productive Capacities Index 2021 – UNCTAD
46 out of 193 countries
1st in Africa - Global Innovation Index 2020 (Cornell University, INSEAD, World Intellectual Property Organization)
52 out of 131 countries
1st in Africa - Global Cyber Security Index (International Telecommunication Union) 2020
17 out of 194 countries
1st in Africa - Human Development Index (United Nations Development Programme) 2020
66 out of 189 countries
2nd in Africa - Tax Efficiency Index (World Bank) 2020
5 out of – countries
1st in Africa - Women, Business & Law Index (World Bank) 2022
41 out of 68 countries
1st in Africa - Africa Wealth Report (Henley & Partners)
1st in Africa - Work from Wherever Index (KAYAK) 2022
4 out of 111 countries
1st in Africa - Global FreeZones of the Year (FDI Intelligence) 2021
2 out of 70 countries
1st in Africa - Good Government Index (Chandler Institute of Governance) 2022
38 out of 104 countries
1st in Africa
- World Bank Doing Business 2020
- International Accolades / Benchmarks
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- A Sophisticated International Financial Centre of Substance
Mauritius has a sophisticated, transparent and well-regulated international financial centre with a conducive ecosystem offering a complete range of financial products such as treasury management centres, global funds, protected cell companies, captives, family offices and trusts. To incentivize new activities, the Government has introduced tax holidays for setting up regional headquarters, investment banking, and fund management, amongst others.
- A Sophisticated International Financial Centre of Substance
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- Telecommunications
Mauritius is currently connected to two undersea cables namely:South Africa Far East (SAFE)andLower Indian Ocean Network (LION)/LION2cables for the provision of international Internet capacity. To position Mauritius on the digital superhighway, the island will be soon connected to two additional international Fiber Optic Cables namely, theIndian Ocean Xchange Cable (IOX), linking Mauritius, Reunion Island and Rodrigues to South Africa and India and theMElting poT Indianoceanic Submarine System (METISS)connecting Mauritius, Reunion island, Madagascar and South Africa.
In addition, the Central Electricity Board throughFibrenethas implemented a second national fiber optic cable backbone in Mauritius. This network which complements the existing fibre infrastructure from telecom operators in Mauritius, aims at boosting Government’s effort to provide affordable and accessible broadband services to all.
- Telecommunications
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- Air Connectivity
Mauritius is served by more than 20 Airlines and connecting over 150 destinations world-wide. The country is well-placed to grow its footprint in Africa with code share agreements with South African Airways and Kenya Airways acting as two new gateways into the African continent. Furthermore, Mauritius aims to position itself as a strategic hub, efficiently connecting Southern African markets to points in the Asia-Pacific. The projections point to approximately 8 million passengers being expected through the airport in 2040. – In terms of connectivity, Mauritius has direct service to 9 of top 15 airport Hubs in the world. This includes Paris, London, Singapore, Dubai, Johannesburg, Nairobi, New Delhi, Mumbai, Perth.
- Air Connectivity
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- Port Connectivity & Capacity
Mauritius is developing an island container terminal to cater for container traffic beyond 2025. The Government is investing Rs 47 billion (USD 1.3 billion) for the development of the blue economy and the transformation of the Port Louis Harbour into a regional maritime hub. These projects include the construction of an island terminal, a wave breaker, a fishing port and storage facility for Oil and Gas amongst many others.The Mauritius Container Terminal (MCT) is set to become one of the largest container ports in the region; already, several projects are being implemented and with the wharf extension being completed over a length of 800 meters. This project, to the tune of MUR 6.5 billion, attests to the government’s vision to make Port-Louis the privileged maritime platform of the Indian Ocean.
- Port Connectivity & Capacity
THINGS TO KNOW
Quality of Life
Mauritius topped the Mercer's Quality of Life Index as the African country with the best quality of life in 2023. 39 factors ranging from socio-cultural environment, to quality of schools and accomodation were taken into consideration in the index. According to World Happiness Report 2022, Mauritius is still the highest-ranking African Nation.
A vibrant culture, unique & exquisite lifestyle
Mauritius offers a quality lifestyle which combines comfort with luxury, modernity with cultural traditions, work with leisure. Mauritius is open to attract new talents, skills and technology. Foreign nationals wishing to invest, work, live and retire in Mauritius may explore various avenues either through the Occupation Permit, the Residence Permit or the Permanent Residence Permit.
Smart City Projects
The smart city projects scattered across the island are set to transform rural and urban landscape of Mauritius as we pursue our transformative journey and modern and better infrastructure. Numerous projects under mixed used development are conceived and implemented by private sector operators. They offer a powerful magnet to increase the flow of investment, creation of jobs and bring latest technology to our shores under the live, work and play concept.
Economic and Social Development of Mauritius since Independence
Discover our sectors of excellence
Financial Services
Education
Agro Industry
Freeport and logistics
Creative Industry
ICT
Manufacturing
Healthcare
Lifesciences
Real Estate & Hospitality
Blue Economy
Renewable Energy
Sports Economy
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