According to reports in the regional media, Mauritius is making an active push in several areas towards securing the interest of businesses in India, marketing itself as a "gateway to Africa".
Speaking to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) this week, deputy director general of the Mauritius Port Authority, Shekur Suntah suggested that the jurisdiction offers "excellent strategic advantages" for Indian firms, going on to explain that:
"Our free-port offers facilities for simple assembly work involved, for example, in the computer industry. There are over 30 fully Indian-owned companies in this sector. Indian companies here source heavily from India and then re-export the products to Africa. Mauritius has evolved into a platform for reshipment of Indian companies."
Meanwhile, director general of the Mauritius Freeport Authority, Rajakrishna Chellapermal outlined the advantages of the country's free-port (which comprises two free trade zones), explaining to the news service that:
"The benefits include tax holiday for traders, while those engaged in minor processing or value-added operations pay only 15 per cent corporate tax. Other benefits include exemption of tax on dividends, 100 per cent repatriation of profits, and 50 per cent reduction in port-handling charges. India is the second largest foreign investing country in the Freeport after France."
According to the IANS report, Mauritius is also seeking to capitalise on its strong links with France in order to provide a bridge between its neighbour and the various French-speaking African nations, and is rapidly enhancing its cyber-capabilities in order to keep pace with India's progress towards becoming a regional IT hub.
