CECPA marks India’s first ever trade pact with African region
Prime Ministers Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Narendra Modi had comprehensive and productive discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations between Mauritius and India during the Indian leader’s State Visit to Mauritius from 11 to 12 March 2025.
Underlining the strength and uniqueness of bilateral ties, both leaders agreed that it is time to provide further guidance and orientation to the relationship and transform it into an enhanced Strategic Partnership http://pmindia.gov.in.
Key points:
Economic and Trade Cooperation
Acknowledging that the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India’s first ever trade agreement with a country in African region, marked a major milestone in the economic and trade relations of both countries, the leaders underscored the need for exploiting the full potential of bilateral trade for the shared objective of economic growth and prosperity of Mauritius and India. Highlighting Mauritius’s locational advantage and cultural linkages, inter-alia, with Africa its being part of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), The Prime Minister of Mauritius underlined the need for Indian companies and businesses to see Mauritius as a gateway to India’s engagements with Africa and benefit from trade and business opportunities offered by Africa http://mea.gov.in.
Reiterating their firm commitment to diversify the trade and commercial linkages between the two countries, the leaders agreed to:
i. Hold the second session of ‘High Power Joint Trade Committee’ under CECPA to further strengthen trade, economic cooperation and partnership between the two countries;
ii. Facilitate trade settlements in local currencies, viz. Indian Rupee and Mauritian Rupee, which will work towards derisking bilateral trade, pursuant to signing of an MoU on Local currency Settlement by the partner Central Banks;
iii. Ratify the Protocol on Amendment of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement at the earliest to harmonise with International Standards on treaty abuse, after ongoing discussions are concluded; and
iv. Promote investments in sunrise sectors such as ocean economy, pharmaceuticals, IT and Fintech, among others, to support Mauritius in diversification of its economy for long term and sustainable economic growth.
Development Partnership
The two leaders noted that India has been the leading development partner for Mauritius since its independence and has contributed significantly towards its infrastructure and developmental needs. Highlighting India’s support in successfully implementing several high-profile infrastructure projects, such as India-Mauritius Metro Express Project, New Supreme Court Building, New ENT Hospital, 956 Social Housing Units, and Educational Tablets, among others, the Prime Minister of Mauritius expressed gratitude for India-aided projects that form part of the Mauritian landscape across various sectors and have benefited all sections of Mauritius over the years.
The leaders further underlined the significance of ongoing infrastructure projects such as Renal Transplant Unit, Forensic Science Laboratory, National Archives and Library and Civil Service College, as well as the High Impact Community Development Projects spread across Mauritius and reiterated their full support towards their timely completion.
Given that India-assisted people-centric developmental assistance brings tangible benefits to the friendly people of Mauritius and contributes towards the socio-economic development of Mauritius, both leaders agreed to:
i. Work towards timely delivery of 100-electric buses and the associated charging infrastructure;
ii. Implement Phase II of High Impact Community Development Projects;
iii. Initiate implementation of the replacement of 100 km water pipeline in Mauritius under the first INR denominated Line of Credit agreement concluded between the two sides;
iv. Finalise discussions on the new Parliament building on a site to be identified by Government of Mauritius, and conclude framework understanding to implement this project with India’s grant assistance;
v. Finalise discussion on the redevelopment of the Ganga Talao Spiritual Sunctuary and conclude framework understanding to implement this project with India’s grant assistance;
vi. Explore new areas of development cooperation, as per the needs and priorities of the Government of Mauritius.
Space and Climate Change
The two leaders agreed that the ongoing space cooperation has immensely benefited both the countries and reflected the importance attached by India to its special ties with Mauritius. The Prime Minister of Mauritius conveyed his appreciation to the Government of India for its support towards the joint development of a satellite for Mauritius and acknowledged that this cooperation is a testament to India’s unwavering support to Mauritius on its developmental journey. In order to further deepen cooperation in the space domain, they agreed to:
i. Work closely towards successful development and launch of the India-Mauritius satellite, including requisite training for Mauritian scientists and experts at the Indian Space Research Organisation;
ii. Support implementation of weather and climate forecasting system at different temporal scales, Wave Rider Buoys and Multi-hazard Emergency System in Mauritius to help it build a resilient disaster preparedness and response system;
iii. Renew the ongoing cooperation between ISRO and Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) on ISRO Telemetry and Tracking Centre in Mauritius; and
iv. Explore new avenues of cooperation in the space and climate change domain to cater to the needs of Mauritius, and associated capacity building support; and
v. Pursue the proposal of the Government of India for a development partnership project aimed at utilising an Earth Observation Application and an interactive computing framework to enable Mauritius to monitor extreme weather events and study climate impact effectively, which will be carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), under the umbrella of the QUAD.
Digital cooperation
Underscoring India’s achievements in rolling out of several people-centric digitization initiatives and their positive impact on governance and service delivery, the Prime Minister of Mauritius requested India’s support to the Government of Mauritius on its digitisation drive across sectors, to which the Prime Minister of India expressed full support. In line with this objective, the leaders agreed to:
i. Support implementation of e-judiciary system, and digitisation of archives and records at Mahatma Gandhi Institute;
ii. Strengthen cooperation in the field of ICT including cyber security, Digital Public Infrastructure, and capacity building for the same;and
iii. Explore implementation of successful digital tools developed by India, such as PM Gati Shakti digital platform, as per Mauritius’s requirements.
Defence and Maritime Security cooperation
The two leaders noted that defence and maritime security cooperation remains an important pillar of bilateral relations and close cooperation in this domain has achieved a strategic dimension and benefited both countries immensely. They further agreed that Mauritius and India, having a shared commitment to ensure a free, open, safe and secure Indian Ocean Region, are natural partners in the region and reiterated their resolve to work closely in countering maritime challenges and safeguarding the larger strategic interests in the region.
The Prime Minister of Mauritius conveyed his appreciation to India for its unwavering support to Mauritius in protecting its vast Exclusive Economic Zone through provisioning of defence and maritime assets, regular deployment of ships and aircraft, conducting joint maritime surveillance, hydrographic surveys and patrolling, bilateral exercises and information sharing and training support, thereby emerging as a significant security provider for Mauritius.
The Prime Minister of India noted that Mauritius is a special maritime partner for India and is an important partner under India’s Vision SAGAR. Given our shared objectives in the region, The Prime Minister of India reiterated India’s continued support and assistance to Mauritius in augmenting its defence and security needs.
Reiterating their collective desire to counter growing threats and challenges in the region, the leaders resolved to:
i. Continue cooperation on provisioning of defence and maritime assets and equipment, as per needs and priorities of Mauritius;
ii. Enhance maritime cooperation through increased deployment of ships and aircraft for joint maritime surveillance and hydrography surveys;
iii. Deepen cooperation towards securing EEZ of Mauritius, including through enhanced utilisation of newly built runway and jetty at Agalega;
iv. Assist setting up of National Maritime Information Sharing Centre to enhance maritime domain awareness;
v. Cooperate by providing expertise in the fields of Marine Operations and Marine Engineering; Port Safety Environment, Port Emergency and Port security to Mauritius Port Authority; and
vi. Conduct customized training programme and capacity building initiatives to meet growing needs of Mauritius Police Force. Fiinews.com
