Nairobi business forum brings together senior financial, investment and technology leaders to turn Kenya-Mauritius connectivity into commercial opportunity
NAIROBI, KENYA | 25 SEPTEMBER 2026
Kenya and Mauritius are positioning their growing commercial relationship around a broader opportunity: making it easier for capital, technology, expertise and businesses to move across African markets.
That message emerged strongly at the Kenya-Mauritius Business Forum in Nairobi, convened under the theme “Connecting Finance, Investment and Technology for Africa,” as senior representatives from financial services, banking, investment, corporate advisory, legal and technology sectors examined how the two markets can create practical pathways for cross-border business.
Opening the forum, Mr. Nanda Narrainen, Director of the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius, set the tone for the engagement by presenting Mauritius not simply as a destination for investment, but as a platform through which international and African businesses can structure, finance and expand their activities across markets.
“For decades, our relationship has been rooted in mutual respect. But today, as Africa stands at the precipice of a historic economic transformation driven by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), respect alone is no longer enough. We are called to translate our historical friendship into tangible economic partnerships to build bridges of capital, technology, and human intellect that connect Port Louis to Nairobi.”
The proposition comes at a time when African businesses and investors are increasingly looking beyond individual national markets towards structures that can support regional and international expansion. The forum therefore placed particular emphasis on the practical intersection between financial services, investment structures, risk mitigation and technology.
The EDB presented Mauritius as an international financial centre with capabilities spanning banking, cross-border investment, insurance, capital markets, wealth management, fintech and professional services. According to the presentation delivered at the forum, financial services account for 12.4 per cent of Mauritius’ GDP, while the jurisdiction supports approximately USD 130 billion in assets under management and had 864 global funds and 194 Variable Capital Company funds as at the end of June 2026.
The scale of Mauritius’ cross-border investment ecosystem was another focal point. EDB data presented at the forum showed 13,341 Global Business Licence companies as at June 2026, while direct inward investment of Global Business Companies in Mauritius stood at USD 372.9 billion and direct outward investment from Mauritius at USD 353.2 billion, based on figures to June 2025.
For businesses looking to operate across Africa, the discussion was therefore less about Mauritius as an isolated market and more about connectivity.
That theme was reinforced through the forum’s panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Narrainen, which brought together Mr. Eric Wambua, Director, Corporate, Commercial & Institutional Banking, SBM Kenya; Mr. Stephen Lagat, Director, Treasury, SBM Kenya; Mr. Vikash Bunjun, Regional Lead, Corporate Advisory, BDO Africa Holdings Ltd; Mr. Bertrand Valadon, Managing Director, AIMIT Ltd; and Ms. Charlotte Elizabeth Patrick-Patel, Partner, ALN Kenya. Their discussion focused on the practical considerations shaping cross-border investment, financial services, technology partnerships and business expansion between Kenya, Mauritius and the wider African market.
One of the strongest examples presented was the experience of Underwriting Africa, which has developed a strategic partnership with Mauritius-based Swan Reinsurance PCC through its Archean Re Cell. The partnership combines Mauritius-based reinsurance capacity with African market knowledge and specialist expertise in credit risk, bonds and guarantees.
The Nairobi-based company reported that the model has supported risks across 23 African countries, with a total sum assured of USD 830 million, own retention of USD 558.7 million, and 129 risks supported. It has also facilitated more than USD 830 million in insured trade and infrastructure transactions through structured credit and guarantee facilities.
For African companies confronting limited access to capital, insufficient collateral and credit-information gaps, the example illustrated how financial architecture can become an enabler of trade and infrastructure rather than simply a mechanism for financing transactions.
The technology dimension of the forum was equally significant. Dr. Fiona Asonga, CEO of the Technology Service Providers of Kenya (TESPOK), addressed participants before the EDB presentation, placing the discussion within Kenya’s technology ecosystem.
“The regulatory synergies that exists within the two countries can benefit investors both in Kenya and in Mauritius a corporation framework that aligns to curbing double taxation and strengthening compliance is one that required to be able to facilitate the growth of business across the different regional blocks – paying more attention to AFCTA”
The EDB presentation highlighted Mauritius’ growing ICT-BPO sector, including software development, fintech, e-commerce, cloud services, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital health, blockchain and other emerging technologies. The presentation also identified artificial intelligence applications ranging from precision agriculture and crop disease detection to predictive maintenance, smart-grid management and robo-advisory.
Mauritius is also developing dedicated mechanisms to attract technology and innovation investment, including a Start-up Act, an EDB Start-up Accelerator, support for AI capability development and the planned AI City at Côte d’Or, positioned as a platform for high-value foreign investment, digital economy development, innovation and export growth.
The forum consequently brought together two propositions that are increasingly difficult to separate in modern African commerce: capital that can move and technology that can scale.
The opportunity extends beyond the forum itself. The EDB’s East Africa mission is designed to facilitate direct business engagement, networking and one-to-one discussions between Mauritian enterprises and potential partners in the region, with the wider program focused on investment, export of services and stronger economic linkages between Mauritius and East Africa.
For Kenya, whose private sector increasingly operates across regional and international markets, the engagement opens conversations around investment structures, financial services, technology partnerships, wealth management, risk mitigation and market expansion. For Mauritius, Kenya provides an important gateway into one of East Africa’s most commercially active economies and a market with deep regional business connections.
The significance of the Nairobi forum therefore lies beyond the presentations delivered on the day. Its central proposition was commercial: that stronger African connectivity will depend not only on removing barriers between markets, but on building the financial, technological and institutional bridges that allow businesses to cross them.
As Mr. Narrainen closed the engagement, the message from Mauritius was clear: the next phase of Kenya–Mauritius relations is about turning connectivity into business.
“The bond between Mauritius and Kenya is further driven grown regional integration and economic leadership, as fellow members of COMESA and signatory at AFCTA our nations have long shared the vision of an interconnected self-reliant Africa driven by trade and investment rather that aid …..By connecting Kenya zon entrepreneurial energy, market skill and digital talent with Mauritius financial sophistication, treaty networks and capital marshal tools we build a resilient high growth economic corridor, hence Economic development board of mauritius (EDB) is fully committed to strengthening institutional ties , facilitating joint ventures and ensuring seamless capital movement between Nairobi and Port Louis”
About the Economic Development Board of Mauritius
The Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius is the country’s investment and export promotion agency, mandated to contribute towards sustainable economic growth through investment and export development. The EDB promotes Mauritius as an investment and business destination and supports opportunities for international businesses seeking to establish or expand their presence in Mauritius and wider markets.
About the EDB East Africa Mission
The EDB’s Multi-sector Promotional Mission to East Africa runs from 21 to 25 September 2026, covering Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya. The mission focuses on Education, Emerging Technology & ICT, and Financial Services, with business forums, one-to-one meetings and networking opportunities forming part of the program.
| MEDIA CONTACT Eminence Global Strategic Inc. | EDB Strategic Communications Partner Email: maureenj@eminenceglobalstrategicinc.com | Tel: +254745727255 Website: eminenceglobalstrategicinc.com |
