Mauritius is today a recognised regional ICT hub and the ICT Sector is now the 3rd pillar of the economy. Government understands how important technology and innovation are in the world today and, as such, has proposed a number of policies and measures to incite local and foreign investors to come to Mauritius.
Today Mauritius, as part of the African continent, is a competitive, well-diversified & broad-based economy with strong linkages with neighbouring countries of the region and the continent. As a member of SADC and COMESA, businesses in Mauritius have access to a large portion of the African market.
Mauritius is also a full democracy and is ranked 17th worldwide and 1st in Africa in Democracy Index 2018 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The island is also well known as an world-class touristic destination with pristine lagoons and white sand beaches. This makes Mauritius a fantastic destination for property investment, culture & exquisite lifestyle and ideal for families wanting to settle.
Our workforce is bilingual (English and French) and, because of the quality of our education system which includes four public universities, can work in different types of ICT companies: software development, infrastructure management, BPO, KPO, etc. Mauritius has also embarked upon Industry 4.0 and the new graduates have competencies in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the blockchain. One important element, which makes Mauritius a preferred destination, is that the country is in the UTC+4 timezone which allows our companies to work quite easily with their various counterparts throughout the world.
A modern telecommunications network has been developed. The Internet infrastructure in Mauritius is world-class with full Fiber-to-the-Home coverage. Furthermore, Mauritius is connected to the world with two undersea cables (SAFE and LION) and a third cable will be operational soon. Mauritius is the first country in Africa to offer 100 Mbit/s Internet bandwidth to home users. Deregulation of the telecommunications sector since 2003 has resulted in the expected reductions in tariffs coupled with enhanced quality of service.
A crucial element for ICT development is the availability of a conducive legal and regulatory framework. In this perspective, appropriate legislations on data security, protection against cyber crimes, the liberalisation and regulation of telecommunications and data protection have been enacted. In December 2017, Mauritius became the first country in the world to enact a law compatible with the principles of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The ICT industry in Mauritius has evolved towards export-oriented services. The African market is accessible to companies operating in Mauritius because of our membership in SADC and COMESA. As such, an increasing number of foreign ICT companies are setting up in Mauritius to conduct different kinds of activities for the export market.
The Ministry of Information Technology, Communications and Innovation is ready to provide you with all the guidance you need to set up business in Mauritius.
For more reasons why Mauritius should be your preferred investment destination, see the Economic Development Board website at https://www.edbmauritius.org/why-mauritius/
