The first Members Business Network (MBN) Coffee Connect of 2024 was held in the morning of 30 January at Royal Green, Reduit, Moka, and served to bring together around 70 members of the business community in Mauritius.
The MBN event was graced by prestigious speakers such as Jackie Demetriou, CEO of MBN; Caleb Samy, Product Manager at Emtel on the blink team; Rima Ramsaran, Chairperson of the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) – Mauritius Chapter; Matlhaba Mogadingwane, First Secretary at the South African High Commission; and Beryl Agyeiwaa Lomotey, Minister Counselor/Head of Chancery, Consulate-General of the Republic of Ghana.
Jackie Demetriou: MBN is changing the face of networking in Mauritius
In her welcoming remarks as CEO of MBN, Jackie Demetriou unfolded MBN’s outlook for 2024, against the backdrop of the ownership and management of MBN having changed hands in the last quarter of 2023. She stated: “Change is an inevitable part of corporate life and is always accompanied by disruption. MBN wants to be that disruptive force, changing the face of networking in Mauritius. As MBN evolves, the way we network and the benefits and platforms we provide are evolving too. Our vision is to be the preferred network of choice for connecting businesses for mutual success.”
She emphasised that MBN was currently working on extending its network with regional and global organisations based in Malaysia, Australia, India, South Africa, and Kenya, among others. She mentioned upgrades to platforms such as the website, app and social media and noted that MBN was also meeting with potential partners to provide members with added benefits. She concluded: “We are partnering with Jeune Afrique for the CEO Forum Annual Summit to be held in Rwanda in May. We have also partnered with Platform Africa as our media partner to ensure that we optimise our presence and our coverage.”
Caleb J. Samy: blink by Emtel will introduce new features in 2024
For his part, Caleb J. Samy of Emtel tapped on his decade long experience in the FinTech arena to address the audience on the evolution of the payments ecosystem in Mauritius. He explained that business owners need solutions for their businesses but are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone. At the same time, service providers are also at risk of replicating solutions that have worked in other markets, such as wallet-based solutions, without drilling deeper into the market mindset and characteristics. And, with a 92% bank penetration, what Mauritians need is a payment solution that connects to their bank accounts, hence triggering the creation of blink by Emtel as a bank-agnostic mobile payment app.
He noted: “As mobile payment users you all have at least one, if not more, payment apps on your phone. What about offering the same convenience to your customers? I’m here today to give you the information about the opportunities that mobile payment apps, particularly our blink payment system, would give you as business owners. In a nutshell, we offer convenience to businesses, and we offer convenience to customers. Today, we have got more than 5,000 outlets, over 50,000 downloads, and we have some big features coming up in 2024.”
Commenting on the payments outlook for Mauritius, Caleb noted that contactless payments such as NFC payments – and Apple Pay in particular – are some future trends that he sees on the horizon. With 76% smartphone penetration in Mauritius, he concluded that the market was rife for such innovation and urged business owners to stay ahead of the curve.
Rima Ramsaran: The power of networking
As a well-established entrepreneur and Chairperson of the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) – Mauritius Chapter, Rima Ramsaran spoke about the power of networking, and explained that connecting with like-minded people helps thresh out solutions to commonly faced challenges and brainstorm ideas for opportunities waiting in the wings.
She stated: “When we think of a business, we cannot help but think of a context. Every business exists in an ecosystem. We talk of legal parameters, competitors, suppliers, potential collaborators and, more importantly, the market we are targeting. But overriding all these considerations are people. Without innovative people, you don’t have a business. In this consideration for people, networking comes in.” She outlined ways to make business networking important and constructive for business stakeholders and elaborated the different types of networking forums. She highlighted that internal networking of people within a business was as important as networking with people outside of it, and that business owners must consciously invest in talking to employees, investors, and management.
Matlhaba Mogadingwane: South Africa offers a promising landscape for businesses
Next, Matlhaba Mogadingwane took to the stage to note the key objectives of the South African government in terms of improving infrastructure, increasing local production, and stimulating job creation towards eradicating the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty. “South Africa is ready to do business with all of you. At the High Commission, we mobilise all our capacity and resources to create an enabling environment that makes it conducive to do business with South Africa. Our country offers a robust infrastructure, well developed financial system and thriving service sector.”
He highlighted infrastructure investments in key areas such as transport, communications, sewage, health and sanitation mechanisms. He also mentioned business facilitation measures towards streamlining bureaucracy and red tape to enhance investor confidence and attract FDI, concluding on the note: “South Africa with its rich resources, diverse market and ongoing commitment to inclusive growth offers a promising landscape for businesses seeking sustainable opportunities and long-term success. We are looking forward to continuing working with you to ensure we can address both our economic challenges so that we can enhance development in our countries towards creating jobs and prosperity for all.”
Beryl Agyeiwaa Lomotey: Ghana is the second largest economy in West Africa
Finally,Beryl Agyeiwaa Lomotey stated: “I come from the centre of the world. When you divide the world from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, ground zero is located in Ghana. I invite you to come to the Western part and see some unique scenery that would give you breathtaking moments. We have a population of a little over 32 million and our official language is English. Ghana is the second largest economy in West Africa and products from Ghana are considered as very genuine and good quality.”
She explained that specific sectors such as textiles, cosmetics and agri-processing had key implications for Mauritius, where Ghana could supply beach wear, shea butter and chocolates as well as mangoes. In addition, she mentioned that gold and mineral mining (be it oil, diamonds, bauxite, or manganese) are also a big part of the economy, but Ghana is now looking for value addition in these sectors so Mauritian companies seeking to set up processing facilities were more than welcome. She also sought support on investment and capacity building for startups, and concluded on the note that real estate development is another thriving area where Mauritian companies can consider collaborating with Ghana.
The event ended with refreshments sponsored by Emtel that allowed members to engage in networking and apply the learnings from the session to truly explore opportunities for the growth and development of their businesses.
