India-Mauritius pact: A pan-African dimension to an otherwise limited deal

Covering limited items of exports between the two nations, the deal could nevertheless help New Delhi enter not both Africa and Europe, without having to sign an FTA with either

The India-Mauritius trade agreement signed in February this year lay buried in the commerce ministry files for the past ten years. 

That it was dusted up and put on the tables of New Delhi and Port Louis for signatures has surprised observers, given New Delhi’s perceived aversion to signing such deals. The last time India entered a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement was with Malaysia in 2010. The details of the latest agreement are not yet up in public since the Mauritius cabinet is yet to ratify the document. The Indian government has already approved it. This too