Author : Editor
Assuring a safe and high-return environment, Prime Minister Dr Navin Ramgoolam on Wednesday asked Indian entrepreneurs to step up investments through partnerships and joint ventures, and use the island nation as a gateway to African markets.
“We see ourselves as a bridge between Asia and Africa,” said Ramgoolam, addressing a business meeting organised jointly by three leading industry chambers. “Time is ripe for Indian companies to plug in to the African nations using Mauritius as a base.”
Wednesday’s meeting was organised jointly by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).
On Tuesday, at a working session with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh, the PM had said: “We need to establish the right strategic bilateral framework, which will provide the necessary incentives and predictability to our economic operators. Bridges will be naturally built between Asia and Africa.”
He added that the Mauritian private sector has a long-standing presence in Africa and their on-the-ground knowledge combined with Indian expertise can allow both nations “to achieve greater outreach in the African continent.”
Mauritius is the largest source of FDI in India between April 2000-November 2011 while India has been the largest exporter of goods and services to Mauritius since 2007.
Source : theindependent.mu
