The island nation of Mauritius today wooed Indian enterprises to make it a regional hub and a gateway for doing business with Africa, the European Union, the US and West Asia leveraging some of the bilateral arrangements it has with them.

Shamima Mallam Hassam, Director, International Business Services, Board of Investment, Mauritius, said various trade and business arrangements can be of immense advantage once companies have their manufacturing units or operations in Mauritius.

Addressing an interactive session hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry here today, she assured entrepreneurs and companies looking at investing in Mauritus or using it as a hub, of all support, including facilitation and even escort services for markets in Africa.

She said its low-tax regime makes it a compelling investment option.

Referring to Moody’s upgrade of Mauritius and the World Bank’s report of ranking it at 19th for doing business and first in Africa, and the conducive business environment, she said it is possible to start business in three working days and the taxation system is simple and low that makes it attractive.

Mauritius has identified some areas for focus and growth. These include seafood and ocean industry development, IT services, tourism and film production as some of the areas with potential.

Referring to the financial services sector, Hassam said most companies, including private equity players and investment funds, use Mauritius as a vehicle to structure the holdings for Africa and other markets across the world. Most global corporations are looking inward into Africa for investments in the areas of tapping natural resources, agriculture, infrastructure development, power, telecom, banking and mass production of goods. The Mauritius hub offers access to these markets, she said.

S.S Samant, Executive Director of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, said Mauritius has become an important business centre for IOCL since its entry in 2001. It is now in the process of expanding its presence by setting up storage facilities, having garnered a big share of the aviation fuel business.

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