Benefiting from a long history of political stability, a good governance record and an open and flexible regulatory system, Mauritius overtook South Africa last year to become the continent’s most competitive economy.
The tiny island country, located some 500 miles east of Madagascar in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is regularly hailed as one of Africa’s success stories — since it gained independence in 1968, Mauritius has had an excellent record of peaceful transition of power with free and fair elections taking place on a regular basis.
Surrounded by stunning coral reefs, Mauritius spans less than 800 square miles and is home to over 1.3 million people — mainly an ethnically and religiously diverse mix of people of Indian, African, French and Chinese heritage. The country, dotted with green sugar cane fields, sparkling lagoons and jagged volcanic mountains, is well known for its perfect palm-fringed beaches and cobalt blue seas, attracting nearly a million tourists annually.
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