From fempreneur to leader: a call for smarter, fairer business support
Fiouuuufff… life in Mauritius is super expensive. Food, electricity, rent, land, office supplies, tomatoes… It’s gotten to the point where buying a lettuce feels like it should come with a finance plan.
The new government is about to release the national budget soon. For months, they’ve been warning us that the country’s economic state is disastrous, carefully managing expectations. But for those of us on the ground — Mauritians with normal jobs and small businesses — our salaries are nowhere near European standards, yet our grocery store prices would make Parisians blink.
And while there’s talk of “measures,” what many of us want is real relief. Not just for the big players or for schemes to attract expats, but for the everyday people who keep the country going — especially for the women entrepreneurs juggling families and businesses.
When I was a young mumpreneur, the numbers were super tight. You’d set your monthly budget, and then life would do its thing: a sick child, a school event, a broken fridge in December… pouf! Budget gone. It was like driving to Chamarel in first gear with five people in the car — you got there, but it wasn’t smooth. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that make the entrepreneurial ride smoother and more worth it. And after 20 years on this journey, these are the things I’d love to see reflected in this new budget.
According to 2023 data from Statistics Mauritius, there are about 26,000 of us — women running businesses. If that’s true, then why aren’t there more targeted support programs? And measures that recognize that fempreneurs face unique challenges. For example, affordable childcare and flexible credit aren’t just “nice to haves” — they’re real economic levers for us.
We need a business environment that truly sees us. We need more support for small credit schemes — even a little bit of capital can unlock huge potential for women-led businesses. We need real ease of doing business — not just on paper, but in practice, so that small entrepreneurs aren’t weighed down by the same paperwork burdens as huge conglomerates. And we absolutely need to see banks treat fempreneurs with the same seriousness — and speed — that they offer to big companies, not as if we’re radioactive.
As a fempreneur with daughters who have seen the hurdles I’ve faced and are now studying overseas — with opportunities there that simply don’t exist here, unless you’re one of the lucky few — we also need to acknowledge the growing brain drain. We need to invest as much energy in bringing them back as we do in attracting wealthy foreigners — whom we also need, by the way.
So yes — life is wildly expensive for at least 95% of Mauritians, if not more, while the bling of many keeps rolling in. But to all the tired, clever, generous fempreneurs out there — you’re not alone. I see you. And in this budget, I hope we finally see policies and measures that see us too.
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