Although Mauritius is a small island, it has long been valued for its strategic location. Deep in the Indian Ocean, over two thousand kilometers (1,243 miles) off the coast of Africa, Mauritius was used by the Dutch, the French and the British to win wars and oversee empires. Independent since 1968, Mauritius has kept a stable economic and political record, attracting foreign investment and making it one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes.

A large percentage of the Mauritian economy rests on tourism and sugar production, but manufacturing and ICT sectors are growing. In an effort to expand the small country’s trading links, Enterprise Mauritius organizes trading expos in different countries where buyers and sellers can interact. From March 27-29, the Third Annual Mauritius Trade Expo in Uganda was held at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala.

“[Enterprise Mauritius] is an export promotion organization, working under the Ministry of Industry,” Michael Nehaldas, an Enterprise Mauritius manager, explained at the event.

“We are the working arm of the ministry. All of the people working for Enterprise Mauritius are from the private sector, then we join with Enterprise Mauritius. We are supposed to help Mauritian businesses become ready to export.”

According to Nehaldas, Enterprise Mauritius recognizes companies that have the potential to export, coaches them to the point of being able to export, and then organizes opportunities, such as the expo in Kampala, for them to connect with business partners and consumers in other countries.

Businesses that have outgrown the domestic market have been encouraged to quickly look beyond the island because Mauritius is such a small country.

“We’re searching for a company here who can sell our products,” Benoit Augustine, one of the exhibitors, said about his purpose for coming to Kampala.

“As our market is very small — 1.2 million people — we know that we have to export. Our main [markets are] Europe, the U.S. and South Africa, but of course we export to other countries as well . . . Our main strategy is to diversify our market,” Nehaldas said.

One of Mauritius’ greatest advantages is its friendly foreign relations, particularly its inclusion in trade agreements. Within Africa, Mauritius is a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Outside of Africa, Mauritius benefits from its membership in the Commonwealth and programs such as the US.. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which gives preferential treatment for trade to specific developing countries.

“The whole strategy is based on our preferential access to the COMESA market . . . This is the basis of our strategy. Every member of COMESA or SADC is striving for inter and intraregional trade between African people. Right now that type of trade is very low,” Nehaldas stated.

In an effort to expand this trade and reach new markets, Mauritius has focused on building connections in other African countries.

“We see potential in African markets . . . We just came from Rwanda. Now we are here in Uganda. Rwanda is in a very early stage of development. We must go there, because if we don’t go now someone will get there first,” Nehaldas said.

Although Mauritius is turning its attention toward markets on its own continent, these new business connections present a unique set of challenges.