Focus on Mauritius at Chamber Expo

The Humber region’s largest annual business event has taken place, with a particular focus on Mauritius as an export market.

The two-day Hull & Humber Chamber Expo 2007 – held at the Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull – was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Dr the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam.

The Prime Minister attended a networking lunch, where he outlined to delegates a number of reasons for investing in the island.

“When you go to invest in a country, especially if it is far away, you want political stability. Mauritius has a long tradition of Democratic government – it is a Democratic country.

“When people go to countries they want to know whether they will have good hotels and proper communications. You can use your Blackberry in Mauritius, you can get your emails. We have several daily flights to all capitals in Europe.”

The Prime Minister also explained that Mauritius had a very educated workforce who were very flexible and would adapt very easily. He said they were at least bilingual, with some speaking three or four languages.

He also discussed financial and tax issues.

“We don’t have any foreign exchange control. You can bring all your profits back to this region. We have a wide network of double tax agreements.

“Last year my government took the decision to reduce tax, both personal and corporate. There is now a flat rate of 15%.

“We are also opening up the economy to foreign tariffs. Foreign people can now come into Mauritius much easier. You can apply for a work permit or residents permit and it will take three days. This means business approval takes three days.”

The networking lunch was followed by a number of speaking events throughout the afternoon. An exhibition took place alongside this with 104 stands including UK Trade & Investment, Business Link Humber, The Intellectual Property Office and Humber Business School.

The second day of the Chamber Expo saw further speeches, presentations, networking opportunities and exhibitions.

Bruce Massie, membership and business manager at the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, said: "It was the biggest business event in the region.

"I would imagine that as a result of the Expo thousands of pounds of trade will be done.”

"This year has been busier than ever and I have had some great feedback from businesses."