THE government of Mauritius plans to turn the country into a free trade zone for the information technology (IT) sector, Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth has announced. “The year 2001 will be marked by the relaunch of the Mauritian economy,” he said. “We want to make Mauritius an information technology free trade zone with digital parks.” The country already enjoys the status of a manufacturing free trade zone and has earned the reputation as the Singapore of Africa, attracting more than 9 000 offshore entities aimed in the main at commerce in India and South Africa. The “digital parks” will comprise a series of buildings clustered together offering state-of-the-art telecommunications and IT facilities, as well as instant Internet access. – AFP