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# [MAURITIUS] AfDB 2026: Mobilise Billions to Reach High-Income Status
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/maurice-bafd-2026-mobiliser-des-milliards-pour-decrocher-le-statut-de-pays-a-revenu-eleve-en/
- Published: 2026-08-25T08:46:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-25T08:46:49.000Z
- Description: The AfDB releases its first Mauritius Country Focus Report: 3% GDP growth in 2026, a record 1.44M tourists, but three structural bottlenecks to clear before reaching high-income status.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Maurice, Économie, Investissement, Flash de mi-journée, #en

**The African Development Bank (AfDB) published its first-ever Mauritius Country Focus Report on August 13, 2026, delivering a nuanced verdict: growth is slowing to 3% this year, yet the island can still reach high-income status — provided it mobilises financing at scale.**

## Solid but Decelerating Growth

After years of post-pandemic recovery, Mauritius is hitting a plateau. GDP is forecast to grow by 3% in 2026, before rebounding to 3.8% in 2027 if structural reforms are implemented. Inflation remains above the Bank of Mauritius target range at 5.7% this year, expected to ease to 3.9% in 2027 as global commodity prices retreat.

On the fiscal side, the deficit is projected to narrow to 6% of GDP in 2026 and 3.7% in 2027\. Public debt, currently above 80% of GDP, is on track to fall below that threshold before 2029 — a positive signal for market confidence, though it limits near-term fiscal flexibility.

## Tourism, Still the Engine

In 2025, Mauritius welcomed 1.44 million visitors — an all-time record. The sector, which also drives wholesale and retail trade, remains the country's main growth driver. The challenge now is to diversify beyond this base, the AfDB warns. Financial services and household consumption round out the growth picture.

## Three Structural Bottlenecks

The report identifies three key constraints. First, the labour market: rigidities, skills gaps, and demographic ageing are weighing on productivity. Second, infrastructure: weaknesses in water, energy, and port logistics undermine competitiveness. Third, the digital gap: ICT shortcomings are slowing the shift towards a knowledge economy.

To address these, the AfDB recommends strengthening domestic revenue collection, improving public expenditure efficiency, and engaging African institutional investors and the Mauritian diaspora.

## New Growth Frontiers

The Mauritius Productivity Study embedded in the report identifies four future sectors: the blue economy (marine resources), the digital and knowledge economy, the circular economy, and creative industries — all high-value-added fields that could reposition Mauritius globally and reduce its dependence on tourism.

## Why It Matters

Mauritius is Africa's closest country to the World Bank's high-income threshold. This AfDB report — the island's first of its kind — sets out the roadmap and lays bare the painful trade-offs ahead: higher revenues, lower debt, and massive investment in skills. The stakes go beyond economics: this is the promise of a development model that could inspire the entire Indian Ocean region.

*Source: African Development Bank, Mauritius Country Focus Report 2026, August 13, 2026.*