 Mauritius... The business environment |
The currency is the Mauritian Rupee (Rs) which is divided into 100
cents. Until 1976 the Mauritian Rupee was linked to the Pound Sterling. Thereafter, it was
attached to the SDR, itself replaced in early 1983 by a trade-weighted basket of
currencies considered to be more relevant to Mauritian foreign trade.
( The exchange rate of the US Dollar as at 31 March 1998 was Rs 23.98
).
| Telecommunications |
Mauritius can boast of the state-of-the-art international communication
facilities including direct dialing to most parts of the world, automatic telex transfer
links worldwide and high-speed facsimile services with overseas destinations on a 24-hour
basis. IDD and operator-assisted calls can be made from Mauritius to 239 countries.
Mauritius Telecom(MT) operates a wide range of digital services, thus
offering the advantages of using higher data transmission, maintainance free system, extra
security, higher capacity, reduced interference and ISDN ( Integrated Service Digital
Network ). The ISDN facilities allows simultaneous transmission and reception of voice,
data and images over a single line, making it ideal for multi-media information exchange.
ISDN facilities benefit all users and in particular business customers in terms of speed
and efficiency.
The international communication infrastructure being efficient and
reliable, provides access to major databases worldwide as well as video conferencing
facilities, an interactive point-to-point or multi-point service enabling meetings to take
place at ease with savings on cost and travelling time. Mauritius Telecom offers access to
Internet through Telecom Plus, a joint venture between MT and France Telecom. The services
include an Electronic Mail service located in Mauritius allowing each subscriber to
exchange messages, access to web servers throughout the world and enable the setting of
web servers locally.
| Port Facilities |
Port-Louis Harbour is evolving into an efficient and modern port
administered by the Mauritius Marine Authority. The harbour includes a container terminal
and terminals for the manipulation of bulk sugar, bulk oil, bulk wheat and bulk cement and
provides cargo handling systems. Numerous international shipping lines call at Port-Louis
regularly.
| The Freeport |
Set up in 1992, the Mauritius Freeport Authority ( MFA ) acts as a
developer of the Freeport and is the sole authority for the management and control of the
freeport zone for the transshipment, bulk breaking and re-export of goods.
The functions and duties of the MFA include:
Issuing licences to operate in the freeport zone.
Allocating areas, spaces and any other facility or structure available in the freeport zone.
Collecting rents, charges and other duties from licensees.
Working out agreements with third parties to provide additional or back-up services to freeport licence holders.
Promoting and encouraging external trade.
With more than 500 freeport licences having been issued to operators (
both local and foreign ) the turnover in terms of imports and re-exports for 1997/98 is
forecast to attain Rs 4 billion ( US$ 174million ). | | Air Links |
With a view to meet the full needs of passenger and cargo traffic, the
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport now links major business centres with no
less than 30 weekly international flights. Air Mauritius, the national airline, has
non-stop services to major cities like London, Paris, Geneva, New Delhi, Singapore, Hong
Kong, Jakarta, Johanesburg, Perth, etc. Other major airlines serving Mauritius are Air
France, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airline System, South African
Airways, Air India, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa.
| Inland Transport
|
The transportation of both passengers and goods depends on the island`s
well developed road network. A duel carriageway links the north of the island via
Port-Louis to the international airport in the south east. A project of developing a Light
Railway Transport System is currently being envisaged.
| Accountancy & Consultancy Services
|
There are several public accounting and consultancy firms, most of
which are members of major international firms. They offer professional auditing, tax
planning services, accounting services, management consultancy, company secretarial
services, project management and so forth. Some of the international firms operating in
Mauritius include Arthur Andersen, Coopers & Lybrand, Kemp Chatteris Deloitte &
Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Price Waterhouse.
| Postal and Courier Services |
- The state owned postal system, the Mauritius Post Office, operates through over 80 outlets. In the main towns, there is widespread use of private post office boxes to which delivery is continuous during office hours. The Mauritius Post Office also operates the Express Mail Service. Air despatches to most Western European, North America and Far Eastern countries are made daily while courier services, such as DHL World Service, TNT Skypak, Federal Express, etc., operate frequent parcel delivery services to most parts of the world.
In 1847, Lady Gomn, the Governor's wife had the first Mauritian postage printed, and entrusted Joseph Barnard, a humble goldsmith, with the engraving. The errors he made on the vignettes gave the stamps considerable value later and made them internationally famous.
| Office
Space |
Quality office space is widely available, with rental for unfurnished
offices ranging from US$10 to US$20 per square metre per month. Most of the office space
available for rent is located in the capital, Port-Louis.-
| Living and Working Conditions |
Mauritius is reputed for its beautiful countryside and its pristine
lagoons and beaches. It is also known for its social peace, political stability and racial
harmony. Steady economic growth over the years has also ensured continuing development of
essential services like health, education, water, electricity and telecommunications.
Both public health and education services are free in Mauritius.
However, there exist private clinics as well as private English and French based schools of high international standards. Hosing is of high standard, easily available and reasonably priced. The island also boasts of a fine selection of restaurants, enviable leisure and excellent recreational activities including golf, lawn tennis, deep sea fishing, sailing and wind surfing, among others. This makes Mauritius a pleasant place to live in. |
