The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius and the Mauritius International Financial Centre (Mauritius IFC), co-hosted a knowledge exchange webinar on Fostering Intra-African Investment Flows. Held under the EU & OACPS-funded ACP Business-Friendly Programme, the event explored strategies to enhance intra-African investment by leveraging Mauritius’ role as a financial hub and aligning with UNIDO’s broader efforts to drive sustainable industrialization across the continent.
The discussions reinforced the importance of structured investment facilitation through digital platforms and policy frameworks. A key tool in this effort is the Invest in ACP Platform, powered by UNIDO’s Digital Investment Promotion System (DIPS), which systematically profiles investment opportunities, strengthens investor relations, and supports business registry management. With over 840 curated investment opportunities in Africa, the platform provides a foundation for an integrated intra-African matchmaking system, linking financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, and industrial players.
In her keynote address, Mauritius’ Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning, Jyoti Jeetun, emphasized, “The Invest in ACP Platform enhances investor confidence and serves as a comprehensive gateway for fostering economic partnerships across Africa.”
A key theme was the urgent need to mobilize investment for Africa’s industrial transformation, particularly in agro-industry, manufacturing, and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). UNIDO’s Addis Ababa Call to Action for A World Without Hunger highlights the need to finance agribusiness projects, while the collaboration with the African Economic Zones Organization (AEZO) highlights the role of SEZs and industrial parks as catalysts for regional value chains and investment growth. These efforts align closely with UNIDO’s policy recommendations for the Finance for Development (FF4D) policy framework, which calls for targeted financial instruments to scale up public and private investments in sustainable industrialization and close the SDG financing gap.
UNIDO Managing Director Gunther Beger highlighted the need for collaboration in achieving Africa’s development goals: “Mauritius is a strategic partner in fostering sustainable investment across Africa, and the ACP Business-Friendly Programme is an essential step towards bridging the financing gap for industrialization and economic transformation.”
Mauritius has a unique position in these efforts, with a well-established network of Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs) and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) that facilitate cross-border investments. Mauritius has already facilitated over USD 80 billion in investment stocks across Africa and hosts more than 900 investment funds, demonstrating its capacity to drive intra-African capital flows. Furthermore, the country’s financial ecosystem has enabled USD 187 billion in investment flows to India and USD 82 billion to Africa, as highlighted by EDB’s Director of Financial Services, Vinay Guddye.
UNIDO Chief Technical Advisor, Brian Portelli, emphasized how the Invest-in-ACP Platform, coupled with ongoing capacity-building support for Investment Promotion Institutions (IPIs) across Sub-Saharan Africa, can complement Mauritius’ role as a financial hub by bridging investment gaps and enhancing project visibility for potential investors.
The webinar concluded with a call to action for strengthened partnerships between investment promotion agencies, financial institutions, and industrial stakeholders. Moving forward, UNIDO will continue to expand its digital investment facilitation tools, strengthen institutional capacities, and mobilize sustainable investments, including in collaboration with Mauritius and partners such as the Africa Union Commission, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to accelerate Africa’s sustainable industrialization and progress towards the SDGs.
Please see the recording of the session here.