Can Mauritius’s African odyssey steer clear of an iceberg as huge as Hindenburg-Adani?

Image credit: MIFC; EDBM

Synopsis
After the revision of the double taxation treaty, Mauritius has sought to reposition itself as a gateway for investments into Africa. While treaties in place with key jurisdictions, cost advantage, strategic location and high ease of doing business ranking (EODB) make it a natural choice, will allegations in Hindenburg report about opacity hurt?

When the delegation of top businessmen, financial sector regulators and bureaucrats led by Mauritian minister for financial services and good governance Mahen Kumar Seeruttun set sail for India from Mauritius in early February, they had not expected to land in the eye of a storm stoked by Hindenburg Research. In a book-sized detailed report, the New York-based firm primarily trained its guns on the Gautam Adani-led Adani group, which saw over