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The primary aim of this paper is to analyse the contribution made by business organisations in the fight against poverty in Mauritius. Whereas on one side businesses are flourishing and ultra‐capitalism is the order of the day, we are witnessing, in parallel, a growing level of poverty worldwide. This situation of paradoxes is not being dealt with effectively by governments, being more interested in attracting foreign direct investment. Civil society organisations, on the other hand, lack the resources to do so. The role played by the business sector is analysed in this work.

For data collection purpose, a questionnaire‐based semi‐structured interview schedule, worked out through the application of the mixed‐methods approach, was devised and applied to a stratified sample of 33.3 per cent of the top 100 companies and the 19 locally‐incorporated banks, based on the stratified random sampling method. Secondary sources, mainly in the form of company publications were also used.

Most businesses surveyed already have established procedures with regards to the allocation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds. They are willing to help in creating a better society whether through financial or non‐monetary means, and do have the resources to do so. However, presently, only 11 per cent of CSR funds are devoted to the fight against poverty. There is a need to set the priorities and to coordinate these efforts. What is lacking is the active involvement of business leaders and public figures. This is needed to create the momentum for setting poverty alleviation as a top‐priority of our social agenda.

This work contributes to the scarce literature on CSR in Africa by analysing the way business organisations in the Mauritian economy contribute to the fight against poverty through CSR. It provides an evaluation of what is presently being done, and proposes ways through which the business contribution could be enhanced in order to help more people in need.

This paper seeks to analyse the contribution of business organisations towards non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) engaged in the fight against poverty. Studies generally refer to figures and reports provided by business organisations themselves. This present research, however, aims to turn towards NGOs engaged in the poverty battle to have their views on the role presently being played by the business sector. It aims to study the case of Mauritius, a developing‐economy.

For data‐collection purposes, a research instrument, in the form of a structured interview schedule, has been devised and applied to a representative sample (50 per cent) of the 110 NGOs actively engaged in helping the poor in Mauritius. Data collected provide valuable information with regard to the NGOs' perception of business organisations and their engagement in the poverty battle through CSR initiatives.

From this work, it is clear that the perception of NGOs engaged in the poverty battle is generally negative towards business organisations. The range of CSR initiatives is considered as being poor, and the funding they received from the business sector is considered as being marginal. They are also of the opinion that their on‐the‐ground expertise is not presently being used.

This paper contributes to the scarce literature on CSR in Africa by taking a deep insight into the business‐NGO relationship from an innovative angle. It analyses the present situation and identifies steps to be taken for this link to be strengthened so as to be more effective in the poverty battle.