Davies, Martyn J.

Abstract
Mauritius is probably the most agile economy in Africa. Its success has been based upon its ability to liberalise and diversify away from a single commodity dependent economy. Mauritius is no longer dependent upon the export of sugar and is emerging as a successful African economy that has created new growth drivers in tourism, offshore finance, trade and increasingly textile & clothing (T&C) manufacturing. It would not be out of place to characterize Mauritius as the Dubai of Africa.
Despite strong competition from Asia and China in particular, the T&C industry in Mauritius remains resilient. Its T&C industry has grown in recent years, perhaps offering of a model to other T&C industries in the region – including South Africa – where the sector is rapidly shedding jobs and may not even survive. Competitiveness is most often not determined by price but contributed to by non-price factors.
The potential of Mauritius is now attracting investment from China. One of China’s official special economic zones (SEZ) in Africa has been established on the island with US$500 million in funding from the China-Africa Development Fund having been committed to the zone. The SEZ trading hub will facilitate manufactured exports by Chinese investor firms into Africa, through preferential trade arrangements in SADC and COMESA, as well as to South Asia where Mauritius has established trading links.
China’s growing business interests in the Indian Ocean Rim region will certainly attract the attention of other regional players – notably India – which have both entrenched strategic and commercial interests in the region.
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