SACA signs first business partnership agreement in Mauritius

The South African Certification Agency (SACA) has signed its first business partnership agreement in Mauritius in line with its strategic expansion into Africa, and in particular into the SADC region.

The partnership agreement is with Happy World Bureautique (HWB), ranked among the leading IT companies in Mauritius and a member of the Happy World Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country.

Its Happy World Foods division is listed on the Port Louis Stock Exchange, and its other major constituent business unit, Happy World Services, with over 1 000 employees, has recently expanded into Madagascar.

"We are delighted to be partnering with a company that is so well connected and entrenched within the Mauritian business market," says SACA marketing executive: e-commerce division, Gerda Venter.

"We have no doubt that this agreement will help us further our strategic goal of becoming the leading provider of digital certification security solutions across Africa."

In terms of the agreement, HWB will act as SACA's official reseller in Mauritius with access to its full range of VeriSign digital security products and services.

The announcement of the partnership was made at last month's InfoTech 99 exhibition, the sixth annual national IT exhibition and conference event to be held in Mauritius.

Venter attended the conference at the invitation of HWB and the Mauritian National Computer Board, where she delivered a presentation on secure payments for the Internet.

"The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate in view of the exhibition's theme this year, which was e-commerce," says Venter.

"Security was high on the agenda and the Mauritian NCB has prioritised this within its current electronic commerce development framework.

"We were pleased to be invited for our input and we see significant business opportunities opening up for us as a result."