Republic of Mauritius- Morcellement Permit Process to enhance Mauritius’s economic development landscape

The NELS, a 2016/17 budgetary measure, aims at improving the investment and doing business climate in Mauritius.  The objective of the NELS is to be a single point of entry for application, payment, processing and determination of business-related licenses in Mauritius.  The EDB has been mandated by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development to spearhead the setting up and operationalisation of the NELS.

In his keynote address, Minister Padayachy, remarked that the NELS was launched to help Mauritius improve its ranking on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report.   A lot of sacrifice is required to achieve that sort of progress, he emphasised, thus, the necessity for continuous effort from both the public and private sectors to ensure that the country maintains a strong economic trajectory.  It is also important to have strong institutions that act collaboratively to enable an inclusive economic development, he stated.

Economic growth, said Dr Padayachy, is crucial to help Mauritius realise its ambitions and the NELS has an important role to play in helping the country maintain its economic trajectory.  The Minister also expressed gratitude to the EU for its continuous support in implementing various projects in Mauritius, and in particular, with regards to an innovation and research plan which will be key in ensuring competitiveness and help the country maintain an inclusive and strong economic trajectory.

Speaking about the Morcellement Permit Process, Minister Obeegadoo, for his part, highlighted that the process of obtaining clearances, permits for land development, construction and business is perceived as very challenging, time consuming and complex.  Most of it, he indicated, is paper-based and promoters, entrepreneurs, businesses are required to apply at the same time for different licenses before they can get all the clearances necessary to obtain the final permit and be able to get their project off the ground.  Hence, the need for reforms, and, the NELS is part of Government’s reform agenda in improving the business and investment climate of Mauritius, he stated.

The E-Licensing System, the Minister pointed out, should enable all stakeholders to apply for a Morcellement Permit on a 24/7 basis on any device and effect payment online.  Applicants will be able to monitor and track their application online and communicate with the Morcellement Unit via the NELS.  The Minister assured the Ministry’s commitment in providing all required support to online applicants of Morcellement Permits.  A helpdesk, he announced, has been set up at the level of the Morcellement Unit to assist applicants who need guidance in submitting their online applications.

In his speech, the EU Ambassador, stated that the launching of the Morcellement Permit Process, implemented on the NELS, is testimony of the critical role in contributing to the economic development landscape of Mauritius.  The NELS project is supported by the EU under the economic partnership agreement support programme to the tune of more than MUR 200 million.

The opportunities offered under the economic partnership agreement provide testimony of the continued and strong commitment of the EU to support Mauritius in achieving the goal set under the government’s programme for inclusive high-income and green Mauritius, the Ambassador pointed out.  To achieve this ambition, the whole process needs to be part of a broader and coherent set of policies and regulatory framework, he added.

The Ambassador also announced that the EU will support a regulatory review exercise, which is one of the four components under the NELS implementation project.  The exercise will focus on four key sectors: construction, trade and logistics, tourism and healthcare.  This exercise will entail a fundamental rethink of the policies in place and help enhance the synergies between business development and sustainable development.