Category Archives: Seychelles

Sherin Francis is one of the hardest working CEOs in the travel and tourism industry, welcoming visitors to her island nation with open arms for many years.

Sherin is the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, a country that is relying on tourism for its people to prosper. Seychelles is also paradise on Earth in a lot of ways, recognized as one of the most beautiful travel destinations and tourism infrastructures in the world. Located in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is fragile, like any island region. Seychelles is also a country where everyone is a friend, and no one is considered an enemy.

Its important to maintain Seychelles as a beautiful travel destination and to protect its people.

Today Sherin Francis addressed friends of Seychelles and the world with this heartwarming message and advice:

The world as we know has taken a challenging turn on 30 January 2020, when the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

We anticipated that we would be affected as a destination but even more so as individuals, we were concerned for our families, friends, acquaintances, business partners all over the world.

In the past few weeks, we have witnessed the spreading of an aggressive virus that has proven difficult for the medical corps around the world to understand and manage. Our thoughts go to everyone around the world as we are all affected by this crisis.

Over the past few weeks, I believe people have realized that the tourism industry is a very fragile one; everything that happens locally and internationally can affects the industry we all depend on as a country.

It is a sad moment for us to see the industry we cherish be brought to its knees; borders closing, airlines and cruise companies shutting their operations, hotel partners announcing the reduction of their activities.

The fast evolution of the situation makes it very difficult at this point for us as the Tourism Board to estimate and analyze the impact and damage to the industry and much less to plan the recovery of our industry. These sad days are fuelling our motivation as a Tourism Board to work harder to make sure that our industry now critically incapacitated shines again when brighter days will come.

We are currently working on various plans to bring Seychelles Tourism to new dawn basing ourselves on a short-term and a long-term plan.

Our short-term plan would be on the assumption that the situation does not deteriorate. If people are required to stay in confinement at home or if there is a countrywide fear, we will have to wait for these to pass before it can be executed.

Since at STB, we believe there are positive things that come out of everything even from crisis as this one, we now have the possibility to shift our marketing efforts locally and provide some supports to partners who are willing to tap into the staycation segment. We are looking forward to this new challenge!!!

On the long run, our recovery plan to get back on our feet as a destination after this crisis will depend on six major things including:

Above all, for our plan to work, we will need your continued support.

I would like to commend all STB staff for their dedication in this time of need. A special thought to the frontline staff at the Seychelles International Airport, at the Praslin Airport, the La Digue Jetty and also all staff stationed in the four corners of the world.

I am grateful to the industry partners, as most of them have responded positively in all instances when contacted by our teams. This has reassured us in showing that they have our industry at heart and are dedicated to its wellbeing.

My message to the industry and our partners is to remain strong in these trying times, encourage travelers to postpone and not cancel their travel. To all of our travelers, I am urging you to postpone your travel, stay home and travel later.

Remember we are all in this together!

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Seychelles Tourism Board CEO: Stay home and travel later - we are all in this together! - eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

21 March 2020 | Defence

This afternoon, President Danny Faure chaired the first joint command chain meeting with the Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces, the Police and Intelligence Service.

The joint command chain has been established with the task of maintaining law and order in the country under any eventuality that may arise as a result of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. It serves as a mechanism to ensure proper coordination and support for the Department of Health, and compliance for its advisories.

In the meeting, officials present had the opportunity to receive a full briefing on the existing public health emergency situation from the Department of Health, and discuss preparations for any additional measures that may be required to effectively respond. It was confirmed that there are currently no cases of community transmission in Seychelles.

Present at the meeting this afternoon was the Vice-President, Mr Vincent Meriton, Designated Minister, Mrs Macsuzy Mondon, Chief of Defence Forces, ColonelClifford Roseline, Commisioner of Police, Mr Kishnan Labonte, Attorney General, Mr Frank Ally, Secretary of State for Presidential Affairs, Mrs Aude Labaleine,Secretary of State for Health, Ambassador Marie-Pierre Lloyd, Chief of Staff of SPDF, Colonel Michael Rosette, Principal Secretary for Risk and Disaster Management, Mr Paul Labaleine, CEO of the Healthcare Agency, Dr Danny Louange, the Public Health Commissioner, Dr Jude Gedeon,Assistant Commisioners of Police, Mr Ted Barbe and Mr Romano Songore and Director General of the Seychelles Inteligience Service, Mr Benediste Hoareau.

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President Faure chairs first Joint Command Chain meeting - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Au Cap (Seychelles) (AFP)

It is the world's largest seed, and with a shape suggestive of a woman's hips and myths of love-making powers, the coco de mer is an icon of the Seychelles.

With a 10-kilogramme (22-pound) coconut wedged between his feet, experienced nut cutter Christophe Bristol uses a mallet and wood chisel to extract the precious kernel from the shell in a warehouse on the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Every bit is valuable.

"The kernel is sold at a very high price in China," said Bristol, hammering at the curvaceous contours of the nut, which features on the Seychelles' coat of arms.

But on the islands, the "double coconut" is more commonly called in French "coco fesse", or the "coconut buttock".

For centuries, myths and mysteries grew up around the nut -- and it was exploited to the brink of extinction.

The impressive coconut palms grows only on two Seychelles islands, Praslin and Curieuse.

"People have a superstition; they grind it and put it in alcohol like whisky, then they drink it and it gives them strength," Bristol said. "That's the myth."

In the nut warehouse in Au Cap on Mahe, the main island of Seychelles, Bristol cuts through the outer shell of the seed.

Today, strict government rules mean that less than 2,000 nuts are harvested each year.

- Red List -

Preparing the nut takes time and skill.

"To open and empty a coco de mer takes around 20 minutes," said Bristol, explaining how the extreme hardness of the outer shell is a tough nut to crack. "It's much more difficult than a regular coconut."

To prepare it, the shell is cut in half along the groove giving it its unique shape, and then emptied of the pulpy kernel.

"Nowadays, we cut the coco de mer in two with a powerful electric saw -- but before, we did it with a handsaw, and (the shell) is so hard that it could take up to half an hour" just to open it, he said.

"It is harder than most types of wood."

The halves are then glued back together to be sold in souvenir shops, for prices ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 Seychellois rupees ($220-295, 200-265 euros), accompanied by a certificate.

The kernel can fetch up to $100 per kilo (90 euros), according to the Minister of Tourism Didier Dogley.

The coco de mer has been coveted for centuries.

Originally, nuts were found drifting in the open sea, or washed up on beaches in the Indian Ocean. Having never seen it grow on land, sailors thought it came from trees rooted in the seabed -- hence its name in French, coco de mer, or sea coconuts.

It was not until the 17th century that sailors found the trees where the unique nut actually grows.

For a while demand dropped -- not least because conventional coconuts have a sweeter taste.

But the coco de mer became popular again after tourism took off following the independence of Seychelles in 1976.

So much so, that the Seychelles authorities decided in 1978 to control the trade.

But the restrictions were ignored by nut poachers, putting the coconut palm in danger.

Since 2011, it has been put on the "red list" of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

- Nut buttock brandy -

The government finally succeeded in putting an end to poaching by tightening the surveillance of the areas where they grow, like the Vallee de Mai, a UNESCO world heritage site, and enforcing regulation of the trade.

"The coco de mer issue, I always compare it to what is happening with the elephants in Africa," said Tourism Minister Dogley.

Only four companies have a license to process and export the pulp, including Island Scent, where Bristol works.

Each nut is carefully numbered and weighed before cutting.

Bristol then separately measures the weight of the extracted pulp and records it in a notebook, checked later by the authorities.

He then cuts the large white pieces into very thin slices, which will be dried, packaged, exported and ultimately sold in Asia.

For the Seychelles, which relies on importing some 90 percent of its goods, the nut is a rare resource that is unique to the islands.

Wishing to capitalise on that, the authorities prohibit the export of non-emptied seed -- which could be planted elsewhere -- and encourage the processing of the pulp.

"It's about optimising the resource," said Dogley.

Liqueur, gourmet dishes, cosmetics -- the coco de mer is transformed in multiple ways.

The latest addition is an "island brandy" which was launched late last year and is sold for several hundred dollars per bottle.

2020 AFP

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Booming business of the booty-ful nut of the Seychelles - FRANCE 24

A second submarine cable linking Seychelles to the rest of the world is scheduled to land on the island nation in July 2021, Seychelles News agency reported.The cable's landing is planned at Perseverance, an artificially created island on the northeastern coast of the main island of Mahe. The PEACE project is being implemented by the Seychelles Cable System Company at a cost of USD2 0 million.

Eric Delort of iXblue, which has been contracted to conduct the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment study, said the cable would "connect Seychelles to worldwide broadband internet via fibre-optic submarine networks, provide redundancy and security for connectivity and enhance Seychelles' economy". The cable comes from Pakistan, goes up to Europe and comes down to Africa. The branch connecting Seychelles, comprising 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, will come from Kenya.

Delort said that the landing of the cable will take into consideration major constraints including avoiding several areas which included sensitive zones of coral reefs, protected areas, rocky landing areas, anchoring zones for large ships, trawler fishing area and main maritime routes.

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PEACE cable to land in Seychelles in July 2021 - Telecompaper

On February 21, the Malta Financial Service Authority made an official post about the Binance exchange office address. The cryptocurrency market received a hit.

A bunch of news media was referring to Binance as to Malta-based exchange. The fact is that nobody saw that office of Binance situated in Malta. Some crypto journalists like Cryptomedication were asking people in Telegram chats for months: Where is Binances office? So far, cryptocurrency enthusiasts had nothing to answer.

Despite the press refers to some office, they often just call it Binance office so you never ask yourself, where it is or whether it is real at all. And now, after the MFSA official statement, people honestly have no ideawhere the officeis.

What the public is certain about, is that its not on Malta:

Following a report in a section of the media referring to Binance as a Malta-based cryptocurrency company, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)reiterates that Binance is not authorized by the MFSAto operate in the cryptocurrency sphere and is therefore not subject to regulatory oversight by the MFSA.

The Authority is, however, assessing if Binance has any activities in Malta which may not fall within the realm of regulatory oversight. Admission of virtual financial assets to trading and/or for offering virtual financial assets to the public in and from Malta requires an MFSA license in terms of the Virtual Financial Assets Act (CAP 590) of 2018.

Not sure, but it looks like Maltese authorities have decided to look into what property or assets does Binance holds on the possible local accounts.

The real home for innovations seems to be the Seychelles and Cayman Islands, according to the report by investigative outlet Decrypt published on February 13, 2020. Per the outlet,Financial Times already madepartial mention of the real Binance office location in their piece titled Crypto exchange Binance ordered to suspend operations in Japan back on March 23, 2018.

The title itself is very interesting. Japan is one of the best countries in the world regarding how to use and regulate cryptocurrencies without harsh restrictions. For the average person, there are no burdens to create a crypto venture in Japan. But if you try cheating, theyll kick you fast.

Changpeng Zhao, Binance CEO, was quick to respond via Twitter to the wall of questions that started surrounding the CEO.

Worth noting that CZ may face certain sanctions from any regulators who will consider re-checking their papers with Binance like the Maltese authorities did. Also, Binance Chief of Growth Ted Lin earliertold the Decrypt during an interviewthat the exchange has a spiritual office on Malta. The main one is, however, situated in another country:

We have offices in Malta for customer services, and some compliance people there, but its not the headquarters per se. Its the spiritual headquarters

What is a spiritual office?

So, Financial Times and Decrypt found that Binance is located on the Cayman Islands, as well as on Seychelles. But polls show that many of the market participants didnt know about this till today:

And heres the survey by Larry Cermak:

So, many people think that Binance had its office on Mars, or they have only partial information. Interestingly, back in September 2019, Binance madeinvestments in a Chinese company named Mars Finance. Do they have a spiritual office on Mars? Conspiracy theorists and mediums can draw shiny conclusions on here.

Jeff Fawkes is a seasoned investment professional and a crypto analyst covering the blockchain space. He has a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing and is passionate when it comes to how technology impacts our society.

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Binance Office Situated 'on Mars', Seychelles, Cayman Islands or Really in... - Coinspeaker

27 February 2020 | Education

The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure received the Vice-Chancellor of University of Botswana, Professor Davis Norris, Vice Chancellor accompanied by University delegation for a courtesy call at State House yesterday afternoon.

President Faure welcomed Professor Norris and his team to Seychelles and thanked him for taking the time to engage with prospective local partners in Seychelles, in line with further promoting greater cooperation between Seychelles and Botswana. He reiterated the countrys commitment at strengthening relations with the University.

Thank you for making the time to be here and I wish you and your team fruitful discussions during your visit. The Government of Seychelles remains committed and is determined to enhance our relations for the mutual benefit of our two countries said President Faure.

During the meeting discussions was focussed on the main existing area of cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development with the University of Botswana in the field of Teacher training. However, the meeting was also an ideal opportunity to initiate further discussions on possibilities of widening the areas of exchange such as potential specialised training in the field of Medicine for Seychellois doctors. Professor Norris also announced that in view of the outstanding performance of the former Seychellois Student Ms Tania Bellard, who was also Valedictorian and the overall best performer in her batch of Teacher returning graduates last year, will be awarded a full scholarship from the University for the upcoming intake in mid-2020.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Professor Norris described his discussions with the President as excellent and expressed hope that following this visit the relations is widened into new scopes.

Also present for the meeting was the Principal Secretary for higher education and human resource development DrLinda Barallon, the Chief Executive Officer for the Agency for National Human Resources Development (ANHRD) Dr. Nadia Lauricourt and Belonie Secondary Teacher Ms Tania Bellard, expected to undertake her Master in Education following the scholarship announcement today.

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President Danny Faure receives Vice-Chancellor of University of Botswana - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

01 February 2020 | Health

The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, held a meeting with members of the Department of Health Emergency Operation Centre (Rapid Response Team) under the leadership of the Public Health Commissioner, Dr Jude Gedeon, at the Seychelles Hospital this afternoon. Also present was the new Secretary of State for Health, Mrs Marie-Pierre Lloyd.

The meeting focussed on actions being undertaken in line with the Department of Health outbreak response plan initiated based on existing guidelines and specialised areas for response during a public health emergency.

This includes actions and measures by the Emergency Operation Centre (Rapid Response Team) and thematic groups including Coordination, Surveillance/Laboratory, Case Management and Infection Prevention and Control, Risk Communication and Social Mobilization, Control at Points of Entry, and Logistics and Supplies. Each group has a leader and dedicated team working extensively to ensure effective coordination as the outbreak progresses internationally.

Discussion also surrounded some of the key challenges being encountered and identification of areas of assistance the Government can provide to the Department of Health to further boost their level of preparedness should the country be faced with a case of the coronavirus.

Following discussions, the President thanked and commended the Department of Health officials for their hard work, recognizing their task is very challenging given the dynamic, unpredictable nature of the situation. He said that the Government appreciates their continued engagement as Health professionals who are committed to protect and care for citizens.

So far the Department of Health in Seychelles has not recorded any cases of the coronavirus however the various prevention measures have been heightened to minimize the possibility of any cases occurring as well as being fully prepared should the eventuality arise.

Speaking to the press after the meeting Dr Gedeon also shared information on the various travel advisory measures being implemented and urged members of the public to follow closely all formal communications being issued by the Department of Health.

For more information please view the full interview of Dr Gedeon and more other updates visit the Department of Health Official Facebook Page:

Link to video interview: https://www.facebook.com/666024463598688/posts/1311669742367487/

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President Faure meets with members of the Seychelles Health Emergency Operation Centre - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Seychelles-based hybrid stock exchange,MERJ Exchange,and the supercar tokenization platformCurioInvest, have partnered to offer investors access to rare and luxury vintage cars, one of the worlds most exclusive asset classes.

The listings could bring up to 500 tokenized cars worth over $200 million onto a stock exchange compliant with the highest international regulatory standards.

As an asset class, rare and luxury cars have consistently been among the worlds best performers, beating not just traditional asset classes such as commodities and equities but other collectibles such as fine wines, watches and jewelry.

SEE ALSO:Seychelles Security Exchange to List Worlds First Security Token on a National Stock Market

Here is a breakdown of the partnership deal:

Partnership set to bring tokenized collectables to MERJ stock exchange Pipeline of 500 supercars worth over $200 million could list on MERJ High performance asset class generated 334% returns in past decade MERJs hybrid exchange brings regulated and fully compliant digital assets to mainstream investors CurioInvest fractionalizing US $1.1 million Ferrari F12tdf into 1 dollar tokens

Over a five- and ten-year period, vintage cars have outperformed all other collectable assets with returns of 91% and 288%, respectively. Average returns for the past decade have been 334%, according to the latest Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index Class Car Special 2018.

Up until now the exclusive preserve of the worlds super rich, CurioInvests listings will be investable with one dollar.

The first supercar on the slate will be a $1.1 million Ferrari F12tdf. Ferraris currently account for 60% of cars sold for over US $5 million.

According toFernando Verboonen, Founder and CEO of CurioInvest:

CurioInvest and MERJ Exchange offer investors a unique combination of old world assets, tokenized on a distributed ledger, but now made available on traditional securities markets infrastructure, said Fernando Verboonen. This is the best of all worlds and ensures that as wide a group of people possible is reached.

For years, many investors have had to sit and watch as rare and elite asset classes outperformed equities and bonds, said Fernando Verboonen. Now we have created a way for all institutional and retail investors to gain access to this booming asset class. In this era of ultra low interest rates it seems likely that demand for collectables will continue to grow.

NB: Look out for an upcoming exclusive interview with Edmond Tuohy, the CEO, MERJ Exchange, on BitcoinKE

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Seychelles-based MERJ Exchange is the First Digital Assets Exchange Offering Investment Access to Rare and Elite Supercars - bitcoinke.io

28 January 2020 | Community Development

The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, met with the District Governor for Rotary International, Mr Raja Somasundaram, accompanied by his wife Mrs Mangala Somasundaram and Members of the Seychelles Rotary Clubs, at State House this morning.

President Faure welcomed Mr Somasundaram and delegation as he expressed his appreciation for the exemplary work of the active members the Rotary Clubs in Seychelles, which includes the Victoria and Coco de Mer Rotary Club, and their contribution to improving the quality of life of Seychelles' citizens. The President gave the engagement of the Government to continue working with the Rotarians and consolidate the already excellent relations.

The Rotarians present discussed their desire to continue helping the community through small and medium sized humanitarian projects in education and health. They also spoke to the President about the bigger projects they have completed in collaboration with other partners such as the North East Point Hospital and Hospice and the eradication of polio.

Headed by Rotary International District Governor Mr Somasundaram, Seychelles forms part of District 9220 along with five other countries: Mauritius, Reunion, Mayotte, Comoros and Djibouti. The district will now be headed by him for the period of his tenure.

Present at State House for the courtesy call was the District Governors wife Mrs Mangala Somasundaram, Assistant District Governor, Mr Nandu Raghvani, President of the Rotary Club of Victoria, Mrs Sarka Viktorova, President nominated for the Rotary Club of Victoria, Ms Angele Low, Current President of the Rotary Club of Coco de Mer, Mr Georges Bibi and Incoming President of the Rotary Club of Coco de Mer, Mr Vincent Hoareau.

Editors Note:

- Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million businesses, professionals, and community leaders. There are over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. The clubs are non-political, nonreligious, and open to all, offering voluntary service and humanitarian support.

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PPresident Faure receives the Rotary International District Governor to Seychelles - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

20 December 2019 | Foreign Affairs

The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, chaired a meeting with all Ambassadors of Seychelles based overseas during a courtesy call by the Diplomats at State House this morning. Alongside the President was the Vice-President, Mr Vincent Meriton, who is also the Minister responsible for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

President Faure extended a warm welcome back to Seychelles to the Ambassadors and conveyed his sincere appreciation to them for the excellent work they have been doing not only in line with promoting the image of Seychelles abroad, but translating diplomatic efforts into tangible results for the benefit of the Seychellois people.

Today I would like to take the opportunity to commend you all for the excellent work that you are doing for the benefits of our people and communities. It is my hope that we continue working together for the betterment of our citizens, by remaining focused and keeping our people at the centre of all our actions and decisions, said President Faure.

During the meeting, the Ambassadors had the chance to brief the Head of State on the status and daily operations of their respective overseas postings as well as share their views and ideas to better address and improve their work both on the international front and locally.

The Ambassadors are currently in Seychelles attending the 2019 Ambassadors Retreat. This years retreat was themedConnect & Engage and was held from Monday 16 December to Friday 20 December 2019. The event reviewed and discussed the challenges that Seychelles faces as an island nation and also discussed national priorities and strategic objectives in shaping the countrys foreign policy.

Ambassadors present at State House this morning included Ambassador Sylvestre Radegonde (the Dean), Ambassador Ronny Jumeau, Ambassador Dick Esparon, Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, High Commissioner Selby Pillay, High Commissioner Derick Ally, High Commissioner Marie-Antoinette Rose Quatre, Ambassador David Pierre, Ambassador Jean-Claude Adrienne, Ambassador Lalatiana Accouche and Charg dAffaires, Ms Gayathri Pillay.

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President Faure holds meeting with all Seychelles Ambassadors - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles