Mauritius welcomes investment and embraces business. Globally recognised as a safe, stable and easy environment to conduct business, Mauritius is a great place to invest, work, live and retire, with future ready infrastructure, global connectivity and world class talent.
Invest in a project of at least Rs 500 million and take advantage of incentives, rebates, exemptions and preferential rates.
Leverage on our unparallel preferential market access to 68% of the world’s population and benefits from a panoply of Free Trade Agreements.
Mauritius’ residence program allows foreign nationals to make a real estate investment into the country and apply for a residence permit to live, work, and retire in Mauritius.
Live and work remotely from Mauritius and experience a long stay or retire in a picture-perfect tropical paradise.
Leverage on our unparallel preferential market access to 68% of the world’s population and benefits from a panoply of Free Trade Agreements.
Mauritius is a subtropical island country in the Indian Ocean surrounded by a vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.3 million square kilometers. The Mauritius blue economy activities excluding coastal tourism represent 10% of the Growth Domestic Product (GDP) and employ around 7,000 people.
The Mauritius blue economy is currently represented by coastal tourism, fishing, seafood processing and seaport activities that are also considered traditional ocean activities. The Government aims at increasing the share of GDP of the blue economy to 20% in the medium term.
The strategy would be to work on the consolidation of traditional activities but also develop emerging ones such as aquaculture, maritime services, marine biotechnology, and oil & gas exploration.
The rich marine natural resources of the Mauritian waters provide great potential for fisheries. The country has ambitious plans to expand its fisheries sector to meet the growing exports demand. Continuous efforts are being implemented by the Government through strategic policy actions to support the sustainable growth of the sector. The fisheries sector provides enormous potential to support the fish and seafood processing enterprises.
The Mauritian seafood sector provides the best quality seafood and seafood acquaintance from sustainably managed fisheries. The country has exported seafood products to Europe time long past and is considered as one of the biggest ACP exporters of canned tuna to the EU market. Our premium product quality and regulatory credentials are very compelling for European buyers and a major competitive advantage. Investors/buyers can take advantage of the various key benefits including:
New opportunities for Mauritius’s Seafood Processing sector lie in market diversification, value-added processing and developing non-premium products and seafood experiences.
Mauritius aquaculture holds great potential to meet growing global demand for more sustainable seafood products while protecting marine ecosystems. Sustainable and long-term governance fueled with an enabling regulatory framework makes the sector very attractive for investments from potential investors willing to expand their footprints globally. The Mauritius aquaculture sector offers foreign investors path-breaking business opportunities namely in:
Mauritius is strategically positioned on the South-South trade corridor which represents an annual USD 3.75 trillion in maritime trade. With some 30,000 vessels passing the country’s maritime zone annually, the bunker segment has experienced a sustained average growth of 13% per annum since 2004 to reach some 660,000 M, representing a market estimated at some USD 250M per annum. However, this volume represents roughly 13% of the current regional demand, estimated at 5,000,000 metric tonnes. Government target to increase bunker sales at Port-Louis to 1,000,000 MT by 2025 and 1,500,000 by 2027.
The rapid growth of the bunkering sector is attributed to the gradual liberalization of bunker trade in Mauritius. Moreover, in a bid to achieve the set target, a series of incentives have been established ranging from discounts of port charges to tax benefits. In its quest to positioning itself on the charter of international bunker traders and shipping lines, Mauritius has adopted best international practices in terms of environmental and operational standards as well as product quality assurance monitoring.
There are currently seven licensed operators engaged in bunker operations at Port-Louis, delivering different types of marine fuels both by pipeline at quay and by bunker barges.
Opportunities:
Mauritius offers several competitive advantages to demarcate itself as a competitive bunkering destination, which includes the following:
The Port of Mauritius services 99% of the country’s external trade for goods. Port-Louis also handles bulk of the regional transshipment market including containers, liquid bulk, and seafood products amongst others. Consequently, provision of ancillary services is crucial to support major ports operations. The international commitment of Mauritius towards climate change is opening new opportunities in this sector. This includes:
Mauritius stable economic and political environment has earned it a place as one of the most respected and compliant registries in the world. The conducive business environment supported by a pool of bilingual professionals, and a solid technological backbone are core attributes for high- end marine based service delivery in Mauritius. In addition to being strategically located for all vessels crossing the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is also a member of major international maritime conventions.
The following advantages offered by Mauritius explain its fast evolution as an emerging hub for ship registry and ancillary services:
Mauritius is an enticing destination for resource exploration and exploration. The vast hydrocarbon reserves off the coast of East Africa and Madagascar proves significant prospects for hydrocarbons in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius. Additionally, the recent discovery of inactive hydrothermal fields reported by the joint Mauritian and Japanese expedition within our EEZ provide important insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of vent-endemic ecosystems in the Indian Ocean and the like hood of mineral deposits. The previously discovered fields of polymetallic nodules and mineral ore in ocean basins close to our maritime zone presents potential targets for deep-sea mining to support the increase and welfare of the human population.
The introduction of the Offshore petroleum actl paves the way for a conducive business environment for exploration, exploitation and production of oil in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius.
Mauritius has significant potential for Oil and Gas Support Services Sector. The hydrocarbon discoveries along the East Coast of Africa and off Madagascar position Mauritius as an ideal platform to service the oil and gas industry. The country competitive position is underpinned by a strong economy, increased regional connectivity, supportive government policies, trade links with key markets, existing Regional Headquarters Scheme coupled with other offerings of the Mauritius IFC as well as existing schemes for export-oriented enterprises provide for substantial benefits for companies operating in the sector. There is scope for growth for companies to invest in Oil and Gas Support Services, new oil and gas discoveries and in underexplored frontier basins.
Deep Ocean Water Application is distinguished by cold, nutrient-rich and pathogen-free seawater found at depth of the ocean. It has attracted particular interest as a renewable resource for energy and marine primary production, and also been dedicated as the useful material for Sea Water Air Conditioning, Green Data Centres, High-end Aquaculture, Pharmaceuticals, and Thalassotherapy amongst others.
Mauritius favors a private sector engagement for this nascent industry by providing for fiscal incentive, a resilient and low risk environment to invest and do business. Currently, one project is under way in the Port-Louis region and, upon completion of its first phase, it will provide green cooling to several public and private buildings in the city center. With the abundant of ocean resources, Mauritius offers a broad range of investment opportunities in this field.
Attractive investment opportunities exist both in the upstream and downstream segments. The upstream segment relates to deep ocean water extraction and the green cooling industries. The downstream segment pertains to the use of sea water for commercial activities.
Upstream:
1. Deep sea water extraction
2. Deep sea water sale
3. Deep sea water air-conditioning
4. Deep sea water energy conservation and production technologies
5. Green data centre
Downstream:
1. Research or production activities using deep sea water
2. High-end aquaculture
3. Leisure, entertainment, tourism or wellness
4. Production of deep sea water ice
5. Production of high-purity marine salt
6. Production of preservatives
7. Research or production of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics
8. Production of premium mineral water or beverage
Through a panoply of schemes and unique incentives offered, EDB Mauritius supports the expansion and growth of business operations as a way to enhance substantive and value-added economic activities in Mauritius.
John Doe, CEO, Multinational PLC
Setting up in Mauritius means joining a long list of world-class businesses that have chosen our country as their regional base of operations. These exceptional businesses include: