Poland in Kenya

Historical view
The establishment of diplomatic relations between People’s Republic of Poland (PRL – Polska Reczpospolita Ludowa) and the Republic of Mauritius took place on 30th of April 1979, following the announcement of a joint press release in the capitals of both countries – Warsaw and Port Louis. The first ambassador accredited to Mauritius was Mieczysław Klimek. It was in 1988 and the Ambassador was permanently residing in Tanzania. At present, Mauritius falls within the territorial competence of the Embassy of Poalnd in Nairobi. The Mauritian Embassy in Berlin is responsible for relations with Poland. The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Mauritius, headed by Mr. Marek Klajda operates in Warsaw.

Political cooperation after 1989
The relations between Poland and Mauritius intensified as the result of the Polish candidacy for the Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. Bilateral meetings at the deputy ministerial level took place, among others, in 2016 on the margins of the COP 22 Conference in Marrakech and in 2017 on the margins of the Summit of Francophone States. In 2018, the Dar Młodzieży vessel,  arrived to Port Louis as a part of the Independence Cruise. During the vessel’s stay in the capital, a seminar on Polish maritime economy was organized.

Recent years have been a period of stable economic growth for Mauritius, due to both the government’s export policy and the growing tourism sector. The creation of a free trade zones, the exemption of investment goods, raw materials and semi-finished products from import duties, tax exemptions and access to the European market – Mauritius is an associated country of the EU – encouraged foreign entrepreneurs to locate their representions and invest in Mauritius. 
Mauritius has a well-developed financial, telecommunication and IT sector, where – apart from tourism – the country’s economy is based. The island is also characterized by one of the highest GDP per capita in Africa, significantly exceeding 9 000 USD. To avoid economic stagnation, local authoritirs introduce changes in the vocational education system in order to adapt them to the market needs, strive for sustainable development of all branches of the economy and implement large-scale infrastructure and telecommnications investments. According to data from the Ministry of Enterprise and Technology, in 2018 Poland exported goods worth 8.3 million euros, which generated a negative balace of foreign trade (-0.4 million euros). The Island mainly imports food – meat, rice and dairy products, but exports textiles, sugar, tea, molasses, rum, coffee and tobacco. 

The Embassy of Poland in Nairobi has been taking part in the European Film Festival in Mauritius for several years. In 2019 we screened a film by Paweł Pawlikowski - “Cold war”. The pianist, Rafał Łuszczewski, also performed a film music concert. During the Dar Młodzieży Independence Cruise, the captain of the vessel and the rector of the Maritime University in Gdynia planted a “Polish tree” in the botanical garden in Pamplemousses.

Individual students from Mauritius study in Poland, both as part of a scholarship from the Polish government on a non-payment basis and scholarship benefits, as well as paid studies. In 2019 one citizen of Mauritius was qualified under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees program. There are no Polish students in Mauritius. 

Recognition of academic qualifications

Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology