Mauritius Positioned as Strategic Gateway for African Investment at Business Forum 2026

Mauritius has positioned itself as a strategic gateway for investors seeking to deploy capital across Africa and other emerging markets, with its financial services sector emerging as a major channel for cross-border investment, wealth management and regional business expansion.

Chief Executive Officer of Mauritius Finance, Faraz Rojid, stated this at the Mauritius Business Forum 2026, where he highlighted the country’s strategic location, financial infrastructure and investor-friendly policies as key factors behind its emergence as an international financial hub.

Rojid described Mauritius as a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world, noting that its location between Africa and Asia places it within four to six hours of major economic centres such as Cape Town and Dubai. He added that the country’s position along major maritime trade routes has supported the development of its financial and business ecosystem.

According to him, Mauritius has spent the past three decades building a sophisticated financial services industry, which now contributes about 13 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), alongside major sectors such as tourism, manufacturing and logistics.

He identified Mauritius’ political, economic and social stability, as well as its tax and regulatory framework, as key attractions for international investors. The country has no exchange controls and maintains a headline corporate tax rate of 15 per cent, while certain foreign-sourced income may qualify for exemptions that reduce the effective tax burden.

“Mauritius has positioned itself not only as a tax-efficient jurisdiction but also as a secure and reliable platform for international investment,” Rojid said.

He disclosed that between 15,000 and 18,000 highly skilled bilingual professionals work across Mauritius’ banking and non-banking financial services sectors. The country also hosts more than 20,000 companies conducting business outside its borders, representing an estimated $350 billion in investment stock.

Rojid added that Mauritius is home to more than 1,000 global funds and collective investment schemes managing assets worth over $80 billion. These platforms offer investors various structures, including holding companies, special-purpose vehicles, investment funds and private wealth solutions.

He further highlighted the country’s hybrid legal system, which combines English common law and French civil law traditions, as well as its availability of Sharia-compliant financial products. According to him, Mauritius’ banking and insurance sectors, alongside its dual stock exchange platforms, provide investors with multiple options for raising, managing and protecting capital.

On Nigeria-Mauritius investment relations, Rojid said Mauritius currently facilitates approximately $3.4 billion in investments into Nigeria, while an estimated $4 billion in Nigerian capital is channelled through Mauritius into other African and emerging markets.

He noted that despite the absence of a ratified Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between Nigeria and Mauritius, the island nation continues to play an important role in facilitating Nigerian investment activities.

Rojid stressed that Mauritius’ appeal extends beyond tax efficiency to include investment protection, risk mitigation and improved capital deployment. He cited the country’s network of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), which provide safeguards against risks such as expropriation, discriminatory treatment and restrictions on capital repatriation, as well as access to international arbitration in investment disputes.

Addressing concerns surrounding financial regulation, Rojid recalled Mauritius’ previous inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, saying coordinated efforts by government agencies, law enforcement bodies and the private sector enabled the country to exit the list within 18 months.

He said the experience demonstrated the importance of maintaining international compliance standards while ensuring that the regulatory environment remains conducive to investment and business growth.

Also speaking at the forum, Segun Onayiga, Co-Founder of ACQ Managers and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ACQ Capital, urged Nigeria to ratify its long-pending tax treaty with Mauritius.

Onayiga said the agreement, which was signed years ago by both countries, remains unratified by Nigeria’s National Assembly, limiting the country’s ability to fully leverage Mauritius as a direct investment gateway.

He argued that the challenge was not a lack of institutional capacity but the absence of sufficient political will and sponsorship to advance the ratification process. He warned that delays had encouraged some investors to route transactions through alternative jurisdictions.

Onayiga also called for measures to strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria, describing trust as a critical consideration in cross-border investment decisions. He said international investors often apply significant risk discounts to African assets because of regulatory uncertainty, bureaucratic delays and limited pools of potential buyers.

He further advocated increased domestic institutional investment in Nigeria’s private markets, noting that despite the growth of Nigerian financial assets, less than five per cent is invested in alternative asset classes such as private equity.

According to him, greater mobilisation of domestic institutional savings could help finance infrastructure and business expansion while reducing Nigeria’s dependence on foreign capital for long-term investment.

Also addressing the forum, Mrs. Nousrath Bhugeloo highlighted opportunities within Mauritius’ international financial centre, particularly in capital markets, investment funds, cross-border transactions and private wealth management.

In her closing remarks, Mrs. Obi Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, stressed the importance of building trusted institutions and relationships capable of supporting sustainable economic growth.

She highlighted the vision of the Lagos International Financial Centre and called for the development of a competitive and trusted business environment anchored on global connectivity and strategic partnerships.

The forum brought together policymakers, investment professionals and business leaders to explore opportunities for stronger Nigeria-Mauritius economic cooperation, with discussions focusing on capital mobilisation, private wealth, investment protection and regional economic integration.