Fostering conditions for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to thrive is a topmost priority for the SME Mauritius Ltd which has been set up to take over the functions of the Ex- Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA). The SME Mauritius Ltd is expected to meet the present exigencies of the SME sector and to continue ensuring a range of services that were earlier provided by the latter.
The Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, made this announcement yesterday during a press conference held at the seat of the Ministry in Port-Louis.
He highlighted the main objectives of SME Mauritius Ltd which are to promote entrepreneurship and provide the necessary support as well as assistance to the micro, small and medium enterprises in Mauritius.
The institution, he emphasised, will be responsible for the successful implementation of the ten year Master Plan which advocates for major institutional reforms that Government is undertaking so as to revive the sector. He also allayed any apprehensions about job losses amongst the employees of Ex-SMEDA and gave assurance that none of them will suffer from job losses.
Minister Bholah underpinned that MyBiz, the one-stop shop for business support solutions to entrepreneurs, has been replaced by the SME Registration Unit which provides registration and counselling services to entrepreneurs. More than 600 entrepreneurs have already benefited from the services of the SME Registration Unit, he added.
With regard to the Made in Moris label, the Minister recalled that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the SME Mauritius Ltd and the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers as a means to facilitate the implementation of a budgetary measure for SMEs whereby Government contributes Rs 5,000 towards the costs of membership in the Made in Moris label.
The Made in Moris label, he underlined, will help SMEs to safeguard the authenticity of their products and increase the visibility of Mauritian brands. On this score, he announced that a hologram will be designed to ensure that products with Made in Moris label remain authentic in local and international markets.
Source: Government of Mauritius