H.E. Mr. Kan Masahiro, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mauritius paid an introductory courtesy call on Mr. Mahen Abhimanu Kundasamy, Chief Executive Officer of EDB to exchange views on furthering economic cooperation between Mauritius and Japan. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest were discussed in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill.
It was highlighted that Japan promotes economic development, trade and maritime security in the Indian Ocean region in line with Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’ strategy which rests upon the establishment of a rule-based international order and the consolidation of principles such as rule of law, free trade and freedom of navigation which are deemed essential for stability and prosperity of the region.
The interest of Japanese companies to leverage Mauritius as a gateway for investing in Africa was reiterated to EDB. As an export market, Japan remains an attractive one as tuna from Mauritius is being exported. Moreover, the potential to diversify the export product base needs to be explored for the export of other made in ‘Made in Mauritius’ products like special sugars, rum, animal feed products and garments. In furtherance, the visibility that the ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) can provide promote Mauritius as a conducive investment platform for Japanese investment in Africa and beyond was also explored.
TICAD9 will be held from 20 to 22 August 2025 in Yokohama and is themed ‘Towards the co-creation of innovative solutions. EDB will work in close collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Mauritius and institutional partners such as Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Business Council for Africa (JBCA), UNIDO-ITPO Tokyo and Japan Institute for Overseas Investment (JOI) for attracting Japanese investment projects to Mauritius. Areas of focus include Financial Services, Ocean Economy, ICT, Freeport and Logistics and Renewable Energy sectors.
The Chief Executive Officer of EDB also mentioned that Mauritius is strongly committed to fulfil Africa’s promise of delivering on “the Africa We Want” as envisioned in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 which is a 50-year framework for Africa’s socio-economic transformation into a global powerhouse of the future and aiming to create a prosperous, peaceful and an integrated continent by 2063. Focus was also laid on Mauritius’ unique advantages of being geographically well-positioned as a strategic gateway between Asia and Africa, with a conducive framework for business, including political, legislative, economic, and diplomatic factors. Mauritius is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), providing preferential market access.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to the strengthening of economic ties between Mauritius and Japan.
