mauritius: carving out its niche in the global delivery model

Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, is an island of multiple facets and a mosaic of cultures. Long hailed as an ideal getaway destination for Europeans in quest of a luxury holiday, Mauritius has a lot more to offer besides the Sun, Sea and Sand.

From its roots as a traditional outsourcing destination, Mauritius has evolved into a thriving international and competitive ICT platform. The country has not only established itself as an attractive and cost competitive global services delivery destination but is also gaining prominence as an emerging tech hotspot as acknowledged in the Kearney Global Services Location Index 2021. 

The ICT/BPO industry which is more than a decade old has times and again demonstrated its ability to innovate and reinvent itself, in order to maintain its growth trajectory.  Over the years, the sector has undergone rapid evolution in terms of expanding its geographical markets, attracting new customer segments and adopting game changing models to offer a considerably wider spectrum of services. Today, the industry which is a key pillar of the Mauritian economy with a GDP contribution of 7.4%, has opened new spheres to include high value-added and innovative activities.

The Mauritius value proposition is articulated around its key attributes and assets, namely quality, hospitality, geopolitical stability and cultural fit (Africa/Europe/Asia connection). The country also provides a nurturing environment that serves as a springboard and platform for business in a range of verticals.

Over the years, Mauritius has crafted an enabling ecosystem for global businesses to develop and thrive. It is able to offer stability, investor-friendly policies, and a strong, stable infrastructure. It also boasts a well-developed digital network infrastructure and high bandwidth through its 3 submarine optic cables and 100% fiber coverage. Government remains committed to supporting this thriving sector and investment in building digital capabilities turned out to be timely and position the Mauritian ICT industry as a trusted partner with the right talent and agility among its clients’ base. 

The country is now moving towards the development of newer sectors such as Fintech, blockchain, cybersecurity, AI and IOT amongst others by providing players in these areas the opportunity to experiment with new business models.  These new clusters of the future are supporting growth, jobs and productivity in the country, thus positioning the destination at the forefront of technology.

International investors continue to show their interest in the country as the geo-strategic location coupled with its cosmopolitan environment also provides a vantage point for meeting the needs of a rapidly developing Africa.

Watch Pratima’s full presentation at the Festival of Sourcing here.