Chamber's drive to boost trade with Mauritius
The Chamber is joining forces with the Mauritius Economic Development Board, in an effort to boost trade links between the country and the UK.
Mauritius is best known as a tourism destination, and as such is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean with a population of just 1.3 million.
However, the country sees itself as a gateway to Africa, and would be a cheaper alternative than many mainland countries.
Mauritius is also hoping to attract retirees to the country, as well as people who want to work remotely.
Although tourism is the main source of income in Mauritius, it is rated as a high-income economy by the World Bank, and which also ranked the country as 13th out of 190 global economies in terms of being easy to deal with.
Mauritius also has a growing financial services sector, which contributes around 12 per cent to its gross domestic product (GDP).
In terms of current trading arrangements, Mauritius signed an agreement with the UK in January 2019 to safeguard trade preferences it had previously received under the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) with the European Union.
The Chamber believes that there is the potential to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Mauritius EDB, and the two organisations are currently working on a campaign to highlight opportunities for trade and investment between the country and the UK.
There are plans for a round table event between the GDP and key businesses in the Midlands this autumn, and the Chamber is also planning to offer specific support to those interested in investing in Mauritius.
Chamber international manager Stephanie Bowes said: “We are excited to be working with the Mauritius Economic Development Board as we look to promote further awareness around exporting goods such as textiles and services and what the trade agreement looks like post Brexit."