18 September 2012

Mauritius to tap new Markets in Asia and Africa, says VPM Duval


In the wake of the Euro Zone crisis, Mauritius which has successfully tapped the European market with 60% of its exports to Europe, is now regarded as a country in transition. Based on its tremendous experience in its main economic markets, mainly tourism, textiles, financial services, the country is now actively moving towards new markets into Asia and Africa.

This statement was made yesterday by the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Xavier-Luc Duval, at the opening of the second edition of the Private Equity Mauritius (PEM) 2012 conference on the theme: “Mauritius, Your Gateway to African Opportunities”, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Balaclava.

According to Mr. Duval, moving into Africa is a priority as the continent is projected to register an annual growth of 6% over the next decade with tremendous investment opportunities. Mauritius, he said, through the newly created Africa Centre for Business Excellence, within the Board of Investment, is now a key player on the African Growth agenda. The country’s active engagement into promoting regional integration and reducing cross border barriers to trade and investment will further help reinforce its position as a gateway to Africa, he added.

The PEM 2012, a two-day conference, which is being attended by over 300 international and local participants is organised at the initiative of the Board of Investment in collaboration with the private sector financial services stakeholders. The event groups under one umbrella C-level executives and decision-makers of large corporate firms, private equity managers, fund managers, fund administrators, wealth managers, investment advisers, partners of International Law firms as well as other financial intermediaries and professionals. Eminent resource persons from around the globe are addressing the conference.

PEM 2012 is acting as a platform for the participants to share their insights on the current global economic scene, Africa’s offerings and potential, the various growth verticals and risk mitigation strategies with focus on investments in Africa and the role of Mauritius as a proven and trusted platform of choice for investing and doing business in Africa.

The conference is equally serving as a forum for international private equity stakeholders to share their views and recommendations about Mauritius as the preferred home for Private Equities (PE) and in strengthening the position of Mauritius as an International Financial Centre in the field of PE and regional investments.

PEM conference was launched in 2009 with the aim to create a platform for directors of global private equity funds and leading corporate leaders, as well as practitioners from the industry to explore further investment opportunities in and through Mauritius and showcase investment opportunities in thriving sectors.

No comments: