Business Opportunities in Mauritius

Textile & Apparel

• Weaving (shirting, suiting and home furnishing)
• Knitting
• Dyeing and finishing
• High value-added wearing apparels
• Home textiles
• Support industries to the textile and apparel industry
• Textile chemicals and auxiliaries
• Setting-up of buying offices
• Testing laboratories and certifying agencies
• Design and Fashion Centres/Institutes
• Pre-shipment and post-shipment logistics support
  

Leisure & Tourism

Mauritius is today recognized as an up-market travel destination for holiday-makers from all parts of the world. The tourism sector offers a wide range of luxury beach hotels ranked among the best in the world. This sector has attracted considerable FDI, particularly in the construction of world-class hotels, since indepndence. It is the second largest foreign exchange earner.

The industry has registered the highest growth rate in the last decade, averaging 17% annually. With the construction of several new hotels, leisure parks and Integrated Resorts, the industry is expected to grow even further.

A Tourism Authority has been recently set up under the Ministry of Tourism & Leisure to regulate this sector. New standards have been introduced to upgrade the level of hospitality service and the quality of amenities offered by small individual operators.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing sector, tbe main engine of growth of the Mauritian economy, is ominated by textile and apparel in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ).

Since the establishment of the Export Processing Zone, the manufacturing sector has attracted substantial FDI from various parts of the world namely Europe, USA, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia and South Africa amongst others. More than 800 manufacturing companies, out of which some 500 are export-oriented, produce a wide variety of quality products such as textiles and apparel, light engineering products, precision plastics, electronics and electricals, jewellery and horology, printing and publishing, toys, miniature ship models, amongst others. Manufacturing is one of main pillars of the economy and remains a major foreign exchange earner for Mauritius.

Preferential access to various markets has been the main factor for the fast growth of the manufacturing sector. The future of the EPZ remains largely dependent on markets where Mauritius enjoys special access due to trade preferences, particularly the EU and the US.

Attractive incentives are offered to encourage the development of this sector. Moreover, with a view to capitalising on the provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), while at the same time promoting vertical integration, Government has recently introduced a package of incentives to encourage foreign as well as local investment in spinning activities. Some spinning mills are already in operation.

ICT

The Government has the vision and ambition to develop Mauritius into a Cyber Island and an ICT hub for the region. A high-level Ministerial ICT Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, addresses issues relating to infrastructure, telecommunications, human resources, legal and regulatory framework, IT usage, e-governance and investment policies. The ICT sector is called upon to become the future engine of growth and the fifth pillar of the Mauritian economy.

To give further momentum to the project, the telecommunications sector was liberalised at the end of 2002. Some USD 100 million are being invested in the Ebène Cybercity, a state-of-the-art technology park. An ambitious e-government programme has also been launched to link all Government departments, agencies and service providers. Appropriate laws on data security, protection of intellectual property and Human Resource Development have been enacted.

More than 200 companies are operating in the ICT sector. They are involved in a wide range of activities, including software development, call centres, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), web-enabled services, training, networking and other support services. Some 30 software and services companies, mostly foreign-owned, are presently working for the export market, namely Europe and the US.

Mauritius offers a business-friendly environment and a unique blend of advantages, namely its cost-effective service, the quality of its workforce and state-of-the-art infrastructure that make it an attractive location for ICT activities. World leaders like IBM, Microsoft and HP have set up their regional office on the island. Oracle, SAP and JD Edwards are also present. The island has successfully attracted key international players such as Infosys, Satyam, Accenture and Cendris (TPG Group) to set up development centres, conduct BPO activities and operate Disaster Recovery Centres.

Electronics

A special niche exists for high value added, high-tech albeit labour intensive activities in Mauritius.

These include assembly of electronic watches, assembly of household goods, measuring instruments and surface mounted technology, among others.

Light Engineering

Sheet metal products,

High precision punching tools,

Die and moulds, water heaters,

Structural steel engineering,

Injection moulded plastic components

Pharmaceuticals & Medicals

Mainland Africa represents a huge market for generic bulk drugs (tablets, injections and liquid formulation). Mauritius is a reliable production base for a wide range of pharmaceutical products.

Possibilities also exist for manufacture and assembly of medical equipment and instruments mainly for the regional market.

Jewellery & Watches

Precious and costume jewellery

Cutting and polishing of diamonds and other stones

Manufacturing of watch components and the assembly of watches