By Shruti Menon Seeboo
As the Fifth India-Africa Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit in Nairobi (17-18 July 2025) prepares to unlock vast opportunities, the practicalities of cross-border financial operations become paramount. Nexus Global Financial Services, a boutique corporate services provider based in Mauritius, is a vital supporter of this landmark Summit, specialising in streamlining complex ventures between India and Africa. We recently spoke with Shamina Janoo, Director of Business Development at Nexus Global Financial Services, who offers an exclusive look into how their firm, leveraging Mauritius’ strategic advantages, helps businesses navigate regulatory landscapes, manage capital, and forge sustainable partnerships, truly bridging the ambitions of two dynamic continents.
- Nexus Global Financial Services plays a vital role in facilitating cross-border financial operations. How does your firm specifically support Indian and African businesses and investors in navigating the complexities of establishing and managing their ventures across these two continents, and what are your primary objectives for participating in this Summit?
Nexus Global Financial Services bridges Indian and African entrepreneurs, streamlining every stage of cross-border expansion. Operating from Mauritius—a leading international financial centre that shares India’s time zone and boasts an extensive network of treaties—we map regulatory and repatriation pathways across India, Mauritius and more than twenty African jurisdictions, then establish the structure best suited to each project, whether a Global Business Company, Authorised Company, trust or fund.
Our presence at the India–Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit underlines our commitment to deeper collaboration between the two regions. By tailoring advisory and structuring solutions to local realities, we help businesses scale sustainably, navigate regulation with confidence and direct capital where it has the greatest impact. We aim to forge long-term partnerships, highlight the innovators whose success stories inspire others and, ultimately, drive mutually beneficial growth across India and Africa.
- From your experience, what are the most common structuring or administrative challenges that clients encounter when setting up or expanding operations between India and Africa, and how does Nexus Global provide solutions to overcome these?
The India–Africa corridor is booming, propelled by diaspora entrepreneurs—particularly Gujarati families with deep roots on both sides—but it is also hampered by regulatory and currency hurdles. Investors must reconcile India’s Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) requirements with those of African regulators such as South Africa’s FSCA or Mauritius’s FSC, especially around Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) classifications and disclosure rules. Add to that the difficulty of repatriating profits from tightly controlled markets like Nigeria and Ethiopia, and deals can easily stall. Here, the Mauritius International Financial Centre offers vital relief: zero exchange controls, bilingual expertise, geographic proximity and an extensive web of tax treaties make it the preferred bridge between India and Africa, even under closer scrutiny from Indian authorities.
Nexus Global Financial Services turns these structural challenges into a competitive edge. Drawing on years of cross-border experience and a continent-wide network of partners and associates, we guide clients through every layer of regulation, governance and treasury management. Our on-the-ground insight in African markets, paired with global structuring expertise, ensures transactions remain compliant, capital flows efficiently, and opportunities are realised without unnecessary friction.
- Given the Summit’s emphasis on fostering entrepreneurial collaborations, how can robust financial and corporate services, such as those offered by Nexus Global, contribute to the long-term success and sustainability of joint ventures in this corridor?
Robust financial and corporate services is precisely where Nexus Global Financial Services adds value. We deliver end-to-end corporate, trust, fiduciary and fund-administration support, ensuring every legal and compliance requirement is met from day one. Our accountants handle bookkeeping, reporting and tax filings, while our governance team maintains statutory registers, drafts board papers and advises directors on best practice—giving investors confidence and keeping the venture on the right side of regulation.
Beyond the back office, Nexus leverages its on-the-ground network across key African markets to provide local commercial insights and cultural guidance, helping partners tailor their strategy to regional realities. We also act as Compliance Officer and Money-Laundering Reporting Officer where required, embedding robust risk-management procedures and ensuring all anti-money-laundering obligations are satisfied. Taken together, these services create resilient operational foundations, foster transparent decision-making and allow joint ventures to focus on growth rather than grappling with administrative hurdles.
- Looking ahead, what emerging regulatory changes or technological advancements do you anticipate will most significantly impact the financial services landscape for India-Africa investment, and how is Nexus Global preparing for these shifts?
Mauritius already aligns closely with the EU’s GDPR, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act is now in force, and several African states (Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa) have introduced, or are tightening, GDPR-style rules alongside statutes that recognise digital signatures. For cross-border investors this means two practical hurdles: (1) stricter consent and retention rules for client data, and (2) an expectation that key documents—shareholders’ resolutions, loan agreements, board minutes—can be executed electronically yet remain fully enforceable in every jurisdiction involved.
Looking ahead, artificial-intelligence tools are set to be equally transformative. AI-powered “agents” already draft first-pass KYC summaries, flag potential sanctions matches and lift data from passport scans in seconds—freeing our analysts for higher-value judgement calls. Nexus is trialing these capabilities internally, but we have not yet deployed them on live client files. Before we do, we will complete a full data-protection impact assessment, secure explicit client consent for any automated processing and embed a robust human-oversight layer so that a qualified officer signs off every result. Technology will speed up routine checks, yet nothing will replace the proximity and discernment of experienced professionals who understand our clients personally. In short, AI is a game-changer, but we will only roll it out once we are certain it enhances accuracy and efficiency without compromising privacy, compliance or trust.
