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As an open economy, Mauritius has constantly upheld regional and international co-operation. A decision was taken at the level of the Basel Committee on
Banking Supervision in the early 1990s to group banking supervisors into distinct groups with a view to furthering co-operation among supervisors and promoting harmonized standards of supervision through a process
of continuous exchange. Accordingly, 1 6 central bank supervisory authorities of the Eastern and Southern African region have grouped together in the ESAF with the above-stated objectives.
ESAF was set up in 1993 as a platform for regional co-operation in the field of banking supervision among countries of the ESAF region with the aim of
improving supervisory practices in the region in line with international standards. The main focus of ESAF is the harmonisation of supervisory standards, developing close contact among supervisors and promoting the
best international practices in the supervisory field within the region. Another major responsibility of ESAF is to build up an adequate and competent skill base of supervisors in the region through the provision of
training facilities and fostering of high level exchanges with supervisors from other parts of the world. Furthermore, ESAF acts as the direct link between the Basel Committee of Banking Supervisors and the regional
supervisory authorities in a two-way exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.
ESAF comprises supervisory authorities from sixteen countries in the region, namely, Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Bank of Mauritius is playing an important role in furthering the objectives of ESAF. It has recently hosted the following meetings:
The Fourth Senior Bank Supervisors World
Bank/IMF workshop of the ESAF Banking
Supervisors Group from 14 to 18 June 1999.
The Seventh Annual General Meeting of the ESAF from 21 to 23 June 1999, where the Managing Director of the Bank of Mauritius was elected Chairman of the
Executive Committee for two years.
The Bank of Mauritius and Bank for International Settlements (BIS) combined regional seminar and workshop on credit risk for bank supervisors of the ESAF
region from 1 7 to 21 July 2000.
In addition, ESAF organised various training sessions in the last year.
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