On Monday 21st August, the International Affairs Committee (IAC) led by its Chairperson Hon. Waven William, gathered at the Botanic House to meet with Minister Sylvestre Radegonde and his delegation from the departments of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. This meeting engaged and fulfilled the mandates of foreign relations and tourism held by the IAC. Other members of the committee present were Hon. Wavel Woodcock, Hon. Egbert Aglae, Hon. Kelly Samynadin, Hon. Phillip Arissol, Hon. Johan Loze and Hon. Philip Monthy. Minister Radegonde was accompanied by various Director Generals, the Principal Secretary of Tourism Ms. Sherin Francis, and the Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Vivienne Fock Tave.
The meeting began with discussions addressing concerns surrounding foreign affairs and issues that the IAC had brought forth, including the status of pending international and regional agreements particularly the SADC protocols, the Status of the ACP-EU’s partnership agreement, the Cotonou Agreement, and the inter-agency meetings with special relation to the status of national MOU implementation. Discussions continued on the status of regional cooperation and Seychelles’ position on the Indian Ocean Commission. The Seychelles’ Multidimensional Vulnerability Index was also addressed where Minister Radegonde reassured the IAC of the continuous determination to lobby on the matter at relevant international conferences.
Under the tourism portfolio, the Committee had pertinent questions centered on existing gaps hindering the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry. Many challenges such as lack of human resources, sub-par synergy and commitment from partner MDAs, and the unavailability of further financial resources arose from the discussions. The IAC committed its support to help the department’s development. Another topic addressed was the pertinent issue of retaining Seychellois in the tourism industry, including the various strategies that both the Tourism Department and the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) are planning to implement to negate this problem. The IAC proposed that more sensitizations occur within the industry and the public at large on the fragility of the industry and the need for improved collaboration and commitment to face the challenges of attracting the right visitors to increase revenue and maintaining standards of services and products across the board.
After fruitful deliberations and clarifications provided by Minister Radegonde and his delegation, both parties expressed their satisfaction and committed to a stronger partnership marked by regular meetings bi-annually.
