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# [MAURITIUS / RÉUNION] EDB Forum: 60 Mauritian Companies Target the Réunion Market
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/maurice-la-reunion-forum-edb-60-entreprises-mauriciennes-a-la-conquete-du-marche-reunionnais-en/
- Published: 2026-07-19T13:40:14.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-19T13:40:14.000Z
- Description: The Mauritius-Réunion Business Forum and Expo (July 1-2) brought 60 Mauritian exhibitors to Nordev. Manufacturers and SMEs targeted a market of 900,000 consumers — a direct gateway to the EU and an AfCFTA springboard.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Maurice, La Réunion, Économie, Investissement, Clôture, #en

**The Mauritius-Réunion Business Forum and Expo, held on July 1-2, 2026 at the Nordev Exhibition Centre in Saint-Denis, brought together around sixty Mauritian exhibitors. This inaugural edition marks a new chapter in structured trade between the two sister islands.**

## An Unprecedented Commercial Push

Mauritius's Economic Development Board (EDB) organised the event in partnership with Club Export Réunion. Manufacturers, free-zone operators, SMEs and women entrepreneurs were among the sixty-odd exhibitors. Companies such as Award Ltd, Tintex, Yuv Apparel Ltd and SICR set up at the Nordev to forge direct links with decision-makers from Réunion.

Promote investments and trade between our two sister islands — this was the brief set by Geerish Bucktowonsing, EDB's Director of Export Promotion, at the forum's opening. The presence of French Ambassador to Mauritius Frédéric Bontems underscored the trilateral France-Mauritius-Réunion dimension of the initiative.

## Réunion as a Gateway to the European Union

The Réunion market represents a structural opportunity for Mauritian exporters: around 900,000 inhabitants, purchasing power aligned with metropolitan French standards, and crucially, outermost region (OMR) status that opens the door directly to the EU single market. For Mauritian SMEs, accessing Réunion potentially means accessing 450 million consumers.

The forum also highlighted the economic complementarity between the two territories. Where Mauritius excels in textiles, processed food and high-value services, Réunion benefits from sustained domestic demand and a well-structured distribution network.

## AfCFTA: Mauritius Plays the Continental Card

Beyond the Réunion market, the EDB used the forum to showcase Mauritius's strategic positioning within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). For Réunion entrepreneurs seeking a foothold in sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritius offers unmatched regulatory, tax and logistics infrastructure. Double-taxation agreements signed with some twenty African countries make the island a compelling hub.

The initiative follows on from Emmanuel Macron's visit to Mauritius in November 2025, which had already sparked several Franco-Mauritian business meetings and given new institutional momentum to regional economic relations.

## Why It Matters

This forum signals a professionalisation of regional economic cooperation in the Indian Ocean. For decision-makers seeking to diversify beyond continental Europe or Asia, the Mauritius-Réunion corridor offers a cost-effective testing ground with rare cultural and linguistic proximity. The challenge now: turning potential synergies into measurable trade flows by 2027.