Ease of Doing Business - Afrikan Heroes

Mauritius Launches A Year-Long Visa For Remote Workers

October 30, 2020

Interested in relocating to Mauritius, a tiny East African island with a population of roughly 1.3 million, the number one country in Africa in terms of ease of doing business and the number three country in Africa with the highest GDP per capita? This is probably the best time to give it a shot, especially if you are a remote worker. The country has just launched Premium Travel Visa policy for any non-citizen who intends to stay in Mauritius for a maximum period of one year as a tourist, retiree or a professional willing to come with his/her family and carry out his business or work remotely from Mauritius.

All the intended visitor has to present to show that they are qualified for the Premium Visa, is a proof of their long stay plans and sufficient travel and health insurance for the initial period of stay while meeting the following criteria:

The applicants should not enter the Mauritius Labour Market;
The main place of business and source of income and profits should be outside Mauritius;
Documentary evidence to support application such as purpose of visit, accommodation etc.; and
Other basic immigration requirements.

An online platform for the e-Visa application will be available shortly.

Before now, average stay under a Mauritian visa does not exceed 90 days within a 180-day period. At the same time, 60 nationalities are eligible for a 30-day visa on arrival, while other five can obtain a 15-day visa on arrival. Travelers eligible for a visa on arrival must provide a hotel booking confirmation, proof that they can financially sustain themselves for the entire time they are in Mauritius ($100 per day), and documentation (ticket, e-ticket) showing you will leave the country.

Mauritius Remote workers visa Mauritius Remote workers visa Mauritius Remote workers visa

Many ‘Firsts’

As far as Africa goes, Mauritius has already racked up a number of African “firsts” in terms of international business achievements. These include Economic Freedom of the World (2017, Fraser Institute), Forbes Survey of Best Countries for Business (2017) and the Global Competitiveness Index (2017–2018).

It also secured first place in Africa and 25th position overall out of 190 countries on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report, receiving recognition in terms of its political, social and economic stability, efficient and effective regulatory framework, state-of-the-art infrastructure, transparent and innovative legal framework and its highly competitive tax system.

With a government focused on promoting foreign and domestic investment, it has enabled free repatriation of profits, no withholding tax on dividends, interest and royalties, no capital gains tax, and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax. Plus it has 44 tax treaties with countries across the globe and another 32 in various stages of negotiation and ratification.

Mauritius is also known for its beaches and luxury resorts, but also offers hiking in its forested and mountainous interior and world-class diving and snorkeling offshore.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer

Why World Bank Suspended ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Rankings

August 30, 2020

The World Bank has announced the suspension of its flagship “Ease of Doing Business Report, which ranks countries based on the costs of doing business. The shocking decision to suspend the ranking exercise is the latest crisis to beset the global lender with a far reaching impact on its other programmes. The Bank had in a statement noted that “A number of irregularities have been reported regarding changes to the data in the Doing Business 2018 and Doing Business 2020 reports.”

Carmen Reinhart, World Bank chief economist

The institution said it had informed the authorities of the most affected countries, but did not name them. “We will act based on the findings and will retrospectively correct the data of countries that were most affected by the irregularities,” the statement added. There are reports that data on China, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia “appeared to have been inappropriately altered.”

If confirmed, the revised data could affect the rankings of the five countries. The latest report, for example, showed vast improvement among Middle Eastern economies with Saudi Arabia climbing 30 places. The latest report, published last year, ranked Togo and Nigeria among the 10 countries that had shown the most improvement and collectively accounted for “one-fifth of all the reforms recorded worldwide.” But there are no reports that either the scores of either country were tampered with.

In the report, only two Sub-Saharan economies, Mauritius and Rwanda, ranked among the top 50. Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and Togo ranked among the top 100 while South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia ranked among the lowest globally.

The decision to suspend the rankings is also likely to reignite controversy around the annual report, particularly in the methodologies behind the rankings. In the 17 years it has been published, the Doing Business reports have amassed “surprising influence over global regulatory policies,” researchers wrote in a paper published in 2019. The researchers found that the rankings strongly affect policy as governments make reforms to improve their ranking.

“Changes over time in the Doing Business rankings are not particularly meaningful. They largely reflect changes in methodology and sample—which the World Bank makes every year, without correcting earlier numbers—not changes in reality on the ground,” Researchers at the Center for Global Development wrote in February 2018.

In June, the Bretton Woods institution appointed Carmen Reinhart as its new chief economist. Reinhart’s two predecessors, Penelope Koujianou Goldberg and Paul Romer, resigned after less than two years on the job. Romer quit in January 2018 after igniting a controversy around Chile’s ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Report, which he suggested may have been deliberately lowered under the presidency of left-leaning Michelle Bachelet.

The World Bank is also struggling to counter the fallout from the publication of an internal paper that looks at elite capture of foreign aid. The key finding of the study is that aid handouts “coincide with significant increases in deposits held in offshore financial centres known for bank secrecy.” Pinelopi Goldberg quit in February, effective 1 March.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry