SEYCHELLES REALITY

Spanish and French fishing vessels were found to have been illegally fishing in the exclusive economic zones of Somalia, India and Mozambique, claims a new  report  by the Blue Marine Foundation, an NGO dedicated to marine conservation. The two operate sizeable distant-water fleets that engage in purse seining, large-scale industrial fishing, which poses threat not only to the target species but also – due to large amounts of bycatch it produces – endangers marine life in general. The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) were established by the UN in 1982 and are  reserved  for the exclusive use by individual sovereign nations. Other vessels can access them only under special legal arrangements. In the case of vessels registered in EU states, access is  negotiated  by the European Commission through the so-called Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs). If there is no SFPA, individual companies can conclude private access agreements with representat...

  From the 1970s until 2007 Félicité Island in the Seychelles laid dormant, populated only by the abandoned remains of a coconut plantation. Located within Seychelles’ inner islands, Félicité was secluded while remaining conveniently close to its neighbouring islands and was well known for its stunning views & nature. It was no surprise when international luxury resort brand Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas announced they were coming to Félicité Island.  In August 2007 the Seychelles government granted a 99-year lease on Félicité Island – also known as Zil Pasyon (or "island of passion" in the local Seychellois Creole language), to a group of investors who aimed to build a luxurious world-class resort and residential villas. The project initially stalled for several years due to the 2008 global financial crisis, leading to a halt in construction. In 2013 a new pair of investors became involved, restarting development.  One man was Singaporean real-estate mogul Kishore B...

  NAIROBI, Kenya, May 23- Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has now gone international, after being invited to Seychelles to assist in an ongoing investigation involving firearms. According to the DCI, the detectives from the forensic ballistic department are already in Seychelles assisting its government to unravel the firearm’s mystery. DCI said its international recognition has been enabled by operationalization of the DCI-National Forensic Laboratory. “The Directorate of Criminal Investigations thanks the government for investing in the state of the art facility and building the capacity of our officers to resolve crimes that are complex in nature,” stated DCI. DCI said that the move also puts them at par with established investigative agencies, across the world. DCI goes global after invitation to aid in firearm investigations in Seychelles » Capital News (capitalfm.co.ke)

  From violations of press freedom to regression in its support for human rights and good governance, the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. by  Jean Baptiste We have to uphold a free press and freedom of speech, because in the end, lies and misinformation are no match for the truth.” These words,  spoken  by former U.S. president Barack Obama, are as true today as when they were said. Concerns over freedom of the press are what led the Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), Berard Dupres, to  express  his own disappointment with the president of the Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, whose government has been alleged to have leveraged its state-supported budget to negatively influence freedom of the country’s press. Shockingly, despite these quite serious allegations, the Paris-based NGO  Reporters Without Borders ,  listed  the Seychelles as the highest ranking country in Africa in terms of press...

  Intelvision, a triple-play (Internet, TV, Voice) operator based & operating in Seychelles, has their sights set on bringing 5G to the islands, proving that Seychelles is a competitive force in the telecom industry. Currently,  Intelvision  provides internet service to almost 65% of residential and 5% of businesses in Seychelles. They offer fixed lines and television services, in which Intelvision dominates about 85% of the market.  The project is being financed through partnership with World Bank member the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The international development institution approved a loan of $20 million to the company. The funding, approved late in 2021, will enable Intelvision to lease a new cable being built by British multinational telecommunications company Vodafone as a branch of the 2Africa cable network, one of the largest subsea telecoms cable projects in the world, spanning 37,000 kilometres and connecting 26 countries.  The new ca...

  As Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), Caroline Abel (Economics Studies 1999) is one of the most influential figures in a country navigating extraordinary global events. What began as a childhood love for mathematics has culminated in the Global Women Achievers Award at the 2022 World Women Leadership Congress Awards in Mumbai. “Covid-19 has been our biggest challenge since the Bank was established four decades ago,” Caroline says. “The shutdown of the tourism sector, which has a direct contribution of around 30% of our gross domestic product, caused the economy to come a standstill. “I don’t see challenges as negatives, though. I see them as opportunities to do new and different things each day.”  This mind-set, adopted during Caroline’s time at Leeds, has proven effective ever since – as well as the recent accolade, Caroline was presented with the Africa's Woman Leaders Award and named Central Bank Governor of the Year in 2020.  Most importantly for her,...

Ramkalawan's proposed Constitutional misdeeds will forcibly violate the Seychelles Constitution. In a one‐ person constitutional crisis, the man is 'one lab accident’ away from becoming a supervillain. Our country will suffer consequences if we allow arrogant and vindictive politicians to go to an unprecedented level of shameless, flagrant actions and dictator‐ ship. We refer to their proposed CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES (TENTH AMEND‐ MENT) BILL, 2022, relevant to the Defense Forces and the ANTI‐ CORRUPTION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022. This totalitarian leadership wants to control all aspects of the public and private lives of the people violating human rights, denying freedoms, and taking revenge. Ramkalawan's ongoing attempts to rape the sacred book of our country will give the entire defense forces power to do all the functions of the Police Force, including civilian arrest. As president and commander‐in‐chief, he can enforce his autocratic rule.  The second...

  NYC -based travel and lifestyle content creator   Abigail Akinyemi   had been excited about the opportunity to work with the tourism board of The Seychelles. They had invited her to visit and create content to promote travel to the   East African   island nation. Now, however, instead of encouraging others to visit, Abigail wants to share her experience to warn travelers–especially Black travelers–about the poor treatment she received there. Abigail was in communication with the tourism board for some time prior to her trip, which took place last month. They organized and confirmed her excursions, promising that her accommodations would also be taken care of. But as her travel time neared, there was still no confirmation of her hotel having been booked.  “They were giving me the runaround…and assured me to still come, saying my accommodations would be resolved,” said Abigail. “However, after I arrived there was nowhere for me to stay, and the tourism boar...

  The National Assembly of the Seychelles on May 6th put forth its eighth piece of  legislation  this year. According to the proposed legislation, to be voted on this week, “The object of this Bill is to clarify the powers of the Anti-Corruption Commission…as well as offences of money laundering committed prior to the enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act”. Although seemingly an important piece of legislation, as with most things, the conveniently avoided context is even more important - writes Jessica Reed. The same day this legislation was proposed, the government of the Seychelles took the significant step of  releasing  some of those being held in connection with the largest corruption case the country has ever known. The  case  stems from USD 50 million donated by the UAE to the Seychelles in 2002, and for which now 9 individuals have been arrested and held for the better part of half a year accused o...