“French companies stand out as leaders, and have a major role to play in Mauritius”

Céline Gouveia, President, France-East Africa Business Council, MEDEF International

• France is the largest foreign investor in Mauritius, with over 170 French companies established on the island. 

At the France-Mauritius Business Forum, Céline Gouveia, Vice President at IN Groupe and President of the France-East Africa Business Council of MEDEF International, highlighted the strength of Franco-Mauritian economic ties and called for a new phase of collaboration focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Leading a delegation of nearly 70 French business leaders, she encouraged the creation of concrete and mutually beneficial partnerships to meet future challenges across Africa, Asia and Europe.

Céline Gouveia, Vice President, Identity Sales Government Programs at IN Groupe and President of the France-East Africa Business Council of MEDEF International, underlined the vitality of economic relations between the two countries, and called for the development of new, sustainable and impactful partnerships.

Speaking at the France-Mauritius Business Forum last Friday in Mauritius, Ms Gouveia expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to return to Mauritius six years after the last MEDEF International business mission. “It is a great honour for MEDEF International to return to Mauritius in a context of extremely favourable Franco-Mauritian bilateral relations,” she said.

She led a delegation of nearly 70 business leaders from mainland France and Réunion Island, representing sectors as varied as energy transition, health, technology, sustainable agriculture, and services. “The size of this delegation reflects the diversity and vitality of the French economic fabric,” she noted.

Ms Gouveia highlighted the long history of trusted dialogue between MEDEF International, the Mauritian government, and Business Mauritius. “France and Mauritius share much more than a linguistic or cultural heritage. They are bound by an old, solid, and forward-looking relationship,” she said.

She further stressed that France is the largest foreign investor in Mauritius, with over 170 French companies established on the island. “They innovate, they train, they employ locally, and they contribute to Mauritius’ economic dynamism,” she added.

Referring to the delegation’s visit to the Moka Smart City earlier that day, she remarked: “We were privileged witnesses, this morning, to the inspiration provided by the Moka Smart City to our business leaders.”

Looking to the future, Ms Gouveia called for the relationship to enter a new phase that is “even more integrated, more entrepreneurial, and fully focused on the challenges of tomorrow”. For that to happen, she emphasised the importance of building “concrete, ambitious, and mutually beneficial partnerships”.

“France and Mauritius share much more than a linguistic or cultural heritage”

She pointed to key sectors such as the blue economy, technology, energy transition, and agricultural transformation, where French companies, which “stand out as leaders,” could continue to play a major role in Mauritius’ development.

Ms Gouveia also stressed the need to advance on the development of regional value chains: “We hope that this forum will allow us to move concretely forward on projects around regional value chains, which are at the heart of today’s discussions.”

She also recognised Mauritius’ growing strategic importance, describing the island as “a regional hub between Africa, Asia, and Europe,” where France has “its full place, not only as a historic partner, but also and above all as an engaged neighbour.”

Ms Gouveia invited participants to make the most of the opportunities presented by the forum. “I encourage you, ladies and gentlemen, dear partners, to take full advantage of this unique occasion to exchange, develop, and create numerous sustainable opportunities for our two countries,” she said.

She concluded by reaffirming the shared commitment to transforming the strong historical ties between France and Mauritius into dynamic, future-oriented business initiatives.