Shabnam Esmael, President of the AMFCE

“Mauritius has legal equality, but substantive equality remains incomplete”

Although the situation of women professionals in Mauritius has improved, Shabnam Esmael, President of the AMFCE, is of the opinion that much remains to be done to achieve genuine parity. Women, she says, still earn less than their male counterparts, while women entrepreneurs continue to be associated with homemade products at a time when they are present across diverse fields, including finance and ICT.

Shareenah Kalla

The AMFCE has been bringing together women entrepreneurs since 1986. After nearly 40 years of existence, have the association’s priorities changed? 

The AMFCE has been active since 1986, and while our founding purpose – bringing women entrepreneurs together – remains constant, the economic environment in Mauritius has transformed. In the early years, many women operated in traditional sectors such as small retail, food production, textiles, and home-based activities. Today, the Mauritian economy is positioning itself around financial services, ICT-BPO, fintech, renewable energy, the blue economy, and regional trade. As an association, our priorities have shifted accordingly. We now focus on helping women entrepreneurs move into high-value sectors, strengthen governance, adopt digital systems, and structure their businesses for regional expansion, particularly toward Africa and the Middle East.

 

“If Mauritius aims to consolidate its status as a high-income economy, full mobilization of female talent is not optional – it is economically strategic.”

 

Since your appointment as president of the association, what have been your main objectives?

Since assuming the presidency, one of my main objectives has been to reposition AMFCE as a serious economic partner within the national ecosystem. For example, we are encouraging women entrepreneurs to integrate into supply chains of larger corporates in sectors such as construction, hospitality, and financial services. We are also advocating for women-owned businesses to participate in government procurement schemes, particularly in technology services, consultancy, sustainability solutions, and digital transformation projects. Through our affiliation with Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM), we facilitate trade missions and B2B exposure so Mauritian women can access export opportunities rather than remain confined to the domestic market.

This year’s Women’s Day theme – “Give to Gain” – is a powerful call to action that emphasizes the transformative power of generous support and reciprocity in advancing gender equality. How does AMFCE work in this direction?

The theme is highly relevant in a small island economy where networks matter. At AMFCE, this translates into structured mentorship programs pairing experienced business owners in sectors such as manufacturing, cybersecurity and professional services with younger founders in digital marketing, e-commerce, and creative industries. It also means actively promoting cross-sector collaboration; for example, connecting women in agri-processing with those in packaging, branding, and export logistics to create integrated value chains rather than isolated micro-operations.

Being close to women entrepreneurs, do you feel that female entrepreneurship in Mauritius is on the rise or in decline? 

Female entrepreneurship in Mauritius is rising, but it is uneven across sectors. There is visible growth in e-commerce, beauty and wellness brands, digital services, event management, and online education. We are also seeing women entering cybersecurity consulting, data services, ESG advisory, and renewable energy solutions. However, most of these businesses remain small-scale. According to data from Statistics Mauritius, women’s labour force participation remains significantly lower than men’s, indicating that entrepreneurship is often compensating for limited progression in formal employment rather than purely reflecting opportunity-driven expansion.

Where are young women from Generation Z heading in their careers and life choices?

Generation Z women are particularly active in sectors that require lower initial capital but high digital capability – social commerce, content monetization, branding consultancy, and tech-enabled services. The challenge is helping them move from informal digital income streams to registered, tax-compliant, scalable enterprises with proper financial management and governance structures.

“Women are still underrepresented in corporate boards and in politics partly due to entrenched network structures and succession patterns.”

What motivates women to embark on entrepreneurship?

Women embark on entrepreneurship for diverse reasons. In Mauritius, many women professionals leave corporate roles in banking, telecom, or insurance after maternity due to limited flexibility in senior positions. Others enter entrepreneurship after redundancy or limited promotion prospects. Increasingly, however, we also see opportunity-driven founders launching fintech support services, HR outsourcing firms, compliance consulting practices, and AI-based service solutions for SMEs.

In the past, one of the major challenges for women entrepreneurs was access to finance. Is this still the case today?

Access to finance has improved through SME development schemes, but structural and administrative challenges persist. Many women-led businesses struggle to move beyond small-ticket financing. A practical measure that could make a difference would be the creation of a dedicated women-led SME growth fund targeting businesses seeking to scale from MUR 5-10 million turnover to mid-sized operations. Another impactful measure would be state-backed partial credit guarantees specifically for women-led enterprises entering export markets.

Beyond finance, other challenges include limited access to high-value contracts, overrepresentation in saturated markets such as retail and beauty, and insufficient export readiness. Structured export training in standards compliance, packaging certification, digital trade platforms, and regional regulatory frameworks would significantly improve scalability.

Does the lack of support remain one of these challenges?

Support remains uneven at the societal level. One concrete measure that would transform women’s professional lives is improved access to affordable childcare and after-school programs. Without reliable support systems, it is difficult for women entrepreneurs to travel for trade fairs, investor meetings, or regional expansion initiatives.

When speaking of female entrepreneurship, there is often a reductive image of women making homemade products. Women entrepreneurs are active in diverse fields such as AI, technology, finance, and communications. This shows that Mauritian women professionals can do it all. What is your opinion?

The stereotype that women entrepreneurs are confined to homemade products does not reflect reality. Mauritian women are active in fintech compliance consulting, digital transformation advisory, cybersecurity services, renewable energy project management, ESG reporting, communications strategy, and professional training. The issue is not sectoral limitation but market perception and visibility.

It is often said that women professionals contribute less to the economy. What is your perspective?

The idea that women contribute less economically is inaccurate. Lower participation rates and concentration in certain industries distort perception. If female labour force participation increased by just 5-10 percentage points, the impact on GDP, productivity, and household income would be significant. Scaling women-led SMEs in export sectors such as specialty food processing, ICT services, professional consultancy, and sustainable tourism would further amplify national economic resilience.

Women are also disproportionately affected by unemployment. How do you explain this phenomenon, and why does it lead many to turn to entrepreneurship?

Women are disproportionately affected by unemployment because they are often concentrated in sectors vulnerable to shocks, such as retail and certain service industries. During downturns, these sectors contract rapidly. Entrepreneurship becomes both a survival mechanism and an opportunity for reinvention.

How does AMFCE help young women enter the job market?

AMFCE facilitates entry for younger women through structured networking with CEOs, stake holders,  policymakers, and established entrepreneurs. We advocate for internships within women-led SMEs in emerging sectors such as digital compliance, AI-enabled services, sustainability auditing, and cross-border e-commerce. We also promote financial literacy workshops focusing on pricing strategy, cash-flow management, and investor readiness.

Do you believe that the government and the private sector are doing enough to improve women’s professional lives and break the glass ceiling?

Regarding government and private sector efforts, progress exists, but measurable targets are limited. A practical measure would be voluntary or mandatory reporting on gender diversity in corporate boards and executive committees. Another would be procurement targets encouraging a percentage of state contracts to go to certified women-owned businesses, similar to models implemented in other jurisdictions.

What measures would you like to see in the upcoming budget to improve women’s professional lives?

We would like to see targeted tax incentives for companies that integrate women-owned SMEs into their supply chains, dedicated funding lines for women in tech and innovation, and structured export grants for women-led businesses entering African markets under existing trade agreements.

Do you believe there is true equality between the sexes today?

Mauritius has legal equality, but substantive equality remains incomplete. Wage disparities, underrepresentation in boardrooms, and uneven access to capital persist. If Mauritius aims to consolidate its status as a high-income economy, full mobilization of female talent is not optional – it is economically strategic.

Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, for example on boards and within government. What is your view on this?

Women are still underrepresented in corporate boards and in politics partly due to entrenched network structures and succession patterns. Change will require intentional sponsorship, leadership pipelines, and measurable accountability frameworks.

Female entrepreneurship in Mauritius is no longer peripheral. It is central to economic diversification, innovation, and resilience. The next step is not simply increasing the number of women entrepreneurs, but enabling them to scale into high-impact enterprises that shape the national economy.