Mauritius can be the gateway for Indian businesses to access opportunities in the African continent taking advantage of the new African continental free trade agreement, Alan Ganoo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of Mauritius said on Tuesday. 'There is growing interest among Indian businesses to access opportunities in the African continent. Ours is the first trade agreement signed by India with an African country. Indian manufacturers can move part of their manufacturing processes to Mauritius and produce for the African market. We already have duty free access to 600 million consumers by virtue of our membership in Comesa (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and SADC (South African Development Community). The Indian cabinet has recently approved the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with Mauritius. The CECPA covers 310 export items for India, including 27 lines of textile and textile articles. Mauritius will benefit from preferential market access into India for its 615 products including apparel. CECPA provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries. Source:- (Live Mint)
