Mauritius in relation with foreign countries

The economy of Mauritius can be considered to be one among the best in Africa. The Mauritian economy is based upon tourism, textile, sugar and financial services. During the recent years sectors such as the Information and Communication Technology and seafood have emerged. These may have improved the economy of Mauritius by around 40 percent. The government of Mauritius is now working on further improving the economy of the island so that every citizen can lead a peaceful life.

Mauritius can be said to have a good relationship with several countries such as India and also countries of eastern and southern Africa. Mauritius is a member of various organisations namely African Union (AU), World Trade Organization (WTO), the Commonwealth, La Francophonie, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Indian Ocean Commission, Community of Eastern and South African States (COMESA), and the recently formed Indian Ocean Rim Association. Being a member of all these organisations can explain the work carried out by all the ambassadors who represent Mauritius during important events.

Moreover, Mauritius shares a strong relation with India for a couple of reasons. These can be best described as historical and commercial. For example, during the past couple of years Mauritius had been importing fuel from India. The company is known as Indian Oil and owns a number of filling stations in Mauritius. Additionally, there are numerous foreign embassies in Mauritius. These are: United Kingdom, Egypt, China, Australia, India, Pakistan, Madagascar, United States, Russia and South Africa. Besides, Mauritius does not have an army similar to countries such as the US and Russia. Instead, the police force constitutes of the SMF (Special Mobile Force), NCG (National Coast Guards) and police officers.

Furthermore, the SMF is rather engaged with civic works. On the other hand, the NCG engages in keeping a close eye on territorial waters as well as search and rescue missions. Meanwhile, the local police officers see to it that law is maintained throughout the island. These include traffic surveillance, drug surveillance and riot control among others. Mauritius also receives help from its partners such as United Kingdom, US and India in training purposes for a better defense. Mauritius obtains support from a number of foreign countries. But Mauritius in turn may offer the opportunity for foreign investors to set their business in the island. In fact, the government of Mauritius may be looking forward to boost the economy by encouraging foreign investment.

Foreign investors may find Mauritius a suitable country to make business due to the majority of people being bilingual. For example, the number of call centres have increased considerably in Mauritius during the last couple of years. This is a good sign as employment is created. The cyber city at Ebene is as well a good example describing foreign investment in Mauritius.

-------

Keywords: