“We are witnessing a shift in how investors are deploying capital into Africa”

Nilen Vencadasmy, Managing Partner – Juridis Law Firm

As Interlaw’s Africa tour puts renewed focus on cross-border legal services, Nilen Vencadasmy, Managing Partner of Juridis Law Firm, explains why Mauritius remains relevant as an investment platform into Africa. In this interview, he outlines what investors are expecting today, how Juridis supports cross-border transactions in practice, and where he sees opportunities for Mauritius and the firm over the next five years.

Juridis is actively participating in Interlaw’s Africa tour. What is the strategic significance of this initiative?

This visit reflects a shift in how Interlaw is engaging with the African market. There is a clear intention to deepen its footprint across key jurisdictions, particularly in Sub-Saharan and Eastern Africa, and to do so in a way that is much more structured and commercially driven.

What we are seeing on the ground is that transactions involving Africa are becoming more complex. They often involve layered holding structures, multiple regulatory regimes and stakeholders located across different jurisdictions. In that environment, clients are not simply looking for local legal input; they need coordinated advice that can be delivered across borders in a consistent and efficient manner.

 

“Mauritius can firmly establish itself not just as a traditional gateway, but as a preferred and resilient platform in this new global investment landscape.”

 

From our perspective at Juridis, this is highly relevant to the type of work we handle. Many of our mandates involve multi-jurisdictional elements – whether in the context of acquisitions, group restructurings or shareholder disputes – where parties, assets or financing arrangements are spread across several countries, including in Africa. In those situations, the ability to quickly identify reliable counterparts on the ground, align them around a common strategy, and ensure that execution remains coherent throughout the process is critical.

This is where a network like Interlaw adds real value. It is not simply about having contacts in different countries; it is about having established relationships with firms that share similar standards and can work together effectively under time pressure. For our clients, that translates into greater certainty, better coordination and ultimately a smoother execution of their cross-border projects.

You will be meeting clients in Nairobi, Lagos and Zanzibar. What are clients expecting today?

What we are observing is a clear shift in client expectations. Investors operating across African markets are becoming far more execution-focused. They are less interested in theoretical advice delivered in isolation and more concerned with how efficiently a transaction or structure can be implemented across different jurisdictions.

In practical terms, clients want clarity, speed and alignment. They expect their advisers to anticipate regulatory constraints, coordinate timelines across jurisdictions and ensure that there are no disconnects between how a structure is designed and how it is ultimately implemented on the ground. This is particularly important in Africa, where legal, regulatory and commercial environments can vary significantly from one country to another.

 

“As transactions become more complex and span multiple jurisdictions, there is a clear need for networks that are able to operate in a coordinated and consistent manner.”

 

Our approach has been to respond to this need for integration. The combination of Juridis Law Firm and our associated management company, Altus Management Services, allows us to move beyond advisory work and support clients through the full lifecycle of their projects, from structuring to implementation and ongoing administration. At the same time, through Interlaw and our broader network of partner firms, we are able to ensure that this approach extends consistently into each relevant jurisdiction.

Ultimately, what clients value most today is continuity. They want to feel that their advisers are not only technically competent, but also capable of managing complexity across borders in a way that is practical, coordinated and aligned with their commercial objectives.

In the current global context, why does Mauritius remain relevant as an investment platform into Africa?

Historically, a substantial portion of investment into Africa has been channelled through Mauritius, which has positioned itself as a financial gateway to the continent. According to the Economic Development Board of Mauritius, nearly $40 billion of investments into Africa have been structured through Mauritius in recent years. Moreover, Mauritius has consistently ranked among the largest sources of intra-African investment, often acting as an intermediary jurisdiction through which global capital is deployed into African markets.

At the same time, competing routes have emerged, particularly through financial centres in the Middle East such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which have increasingly positioned themselves as hubs for Africa-focused capital, leveraging proximity, sovereign wealth capital and deep liquidity pools. While these centres have gained prominence – particularly in sectors such as infrastructure, energy and private equity – Mauritius retains a differentiated role, anchored in its legal framework, treaty network and long-standing structuring expertise.

In the current geopolitical context, this competitive dynamic is becoming more pronounced. What we are witnessing today is a fundamental shift in how investors think about deploying capital into Africa. It is no longer simply a question of efficiency or tax optimisation. The focus has clearly moved towards security, predictability and substance. In a world marked by geopolitical tensions, conflicts and increasing regulatory scrutiny, investors are reassessing where they anchor their investment structures. They are looking for jurisdictions that offer not only technical advantages, but also political stability, legal certainty and institutional credibility. Singapore is certainly high up in their priorities, but Mauritius remains particularly well positioned.

Mauritius offers a combination of features that are becoming increasingly valuable in the current environment. It is politically stable and widely regarded as one of the safest jurisdictions globally, particularly in times of geopolitical instability. Its regulatory framework is aligned with international standards, including OECD and FATF requirements, which provides comfort to institutional investors. At the same time, it benefits from a hybrid legal system, drawing from both civil and common law traditions, supported by an independent judiciary and the ultimate recourse to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the apex appellate body. These are not abstract considerations; they are central to how investors assess risk today.

This evolution is creating a window of opportunity. Mauritius can position itself as a credible and complementary platform; one that combines regulatory robustness with operational efficiency and a strong track record in structuring African investments. The key point is that investor confidence is increasingly driven by trust, substance and governance. Mauritius has all the fundamentals to respond to that demand. The opportunity, in my view, is immediate. But it requires visibility. We need to be more present, more vocal and more deliberate in communicating the strengths of the jurisdiction. If that is done effectively, Mauritius can firmly establish itself not just as a traditional gateway, but as a preferred and resilient platform in this new global investment landscape.

How does Juridis support investors in practice?

In practice, our approach is built around integration. Our priority is to ensure that there is no disconnect between how an investment is structured and how it is ultimately implemented across jurisdictions. Through Juridis Law Firm, we design the legal and regulatory framework – whether in the context of an acquisition, the establishment of a holding platform, or the structuring of governance and shareholder arrangements. This is done in close coordination with our partner management company, Altus Management Services, which is involved from the outset to ensure that the structure is not only robust on paper, but also practical, implementable and aligned with regulatory and operational realities. Altus plays a central role in bringing these structures to life through incorporation, regulatory interfacing, corporate administration, governance and ongoing compliance. This continuity between design and execution is essential, particularly in cross-border contexts where many risks arise from misalignment between strategy and implementation.

At the same time, our integration within Interlaw allows us to extend this model beyond Mauritius. We work with trusted firms across jurisdictions to ensure that local advice is fully aligned with the overall structure and that execution remains consistent across borders. For clients, this means engaging with a single, coordinated platform rather than multiple disconnected advisers. In transactional work, this model becomes particularly valuable. We are able to remain involved throughout the full lifecycle of a deal, from structural advice and due diligence to execution and post-completion integration. For clients, this translates into fewer execution risks, better coordination between stakeholders and a more efficient closing process.

What are your perspectives for the next five years?

Our objective is to further consolidate our position as a platform connecting Mauritius and Africa for cross-border investment and transactional work. This involves continuing to build depth in the type of mandates we handle, strengthening our relationships across key African jurisdictions, and enhancing the integration between our legal and corporate service offering.

At the same time, we see significant value in deepening our engagement within Interlaw, particularly in the context of its growing focus on Africa. What is emerging is a broader shift in how cross-border legal services are delivered on the continent. As transactions become more complex and span multiple jurisdictions, there is a clear need for networks that are able to operate in a coordinated and consistent manner.

In that respect, initiatives such as this Africa tour are indicative of a wider evolution. The ability to combine strong local expertise with effective cross-border collaboration will increasingly define how legal services are delivered in Africa. Our intention is to remain closely aligned with that trajectory and to contribute actively to its development over the coming years.