President Faure reshuffles cabinet |31 October 2016

• Mitcy Larue first woman to head Home Affairs

In a special cabinet meeting on Saturday morning at State House, President Danny Faure reshuffled his cabinet allocating the different mostly recomposed portfolios to 11 ministers and also announced those which fall under his office and that of the vice-president.

Jean-Paul Adam, who was the Minister for Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy is now heading the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

Joel Morgan, formerly the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, is now the new Minister for Education and Human Resource Development.

Idith Alexander, who was heading the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development, is now responsible for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Alain St Ange retains the portfolio of tourism but with additional responsibilities under the new Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine.

Michael Benstrong moves from the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation to become the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.

Didier Dogley retains the portfolio of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.

Charles Bastienne, who was in charge of Home Affairs, is now the head of the new Ministry of Habitat, Infrastructure and Land Transport.

Mitcy Larue, the former Minister for Health, is now heading the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The former Minister for Education Macsuzy Mondon, now the Designated Minister, has been allocated the Ministry of Local Government.

Newly appointed minister, Dr Peter Larose, is heading the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning.

Wallace Cosgrow, the former Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, now heads the Ministry of Employment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation.

Christian Lionnet, former Minister for Land Use and Housing no longer forms part of the Cabinet.

President Faure said the new cabinet is made up of men and women with experience who will help him carry out the different programmes for the wellbeing of our people and in the interest of the country. He added that their appointments are in line with our priorities and in accordance with current realities of the various sectors.

In his address to the National Assembly two days after he was sworn into office, President Faure announced that his government would be made up of 12 ministries.

But on Saturday he announced that the portfolio of Foreign Affairs would now fall under his office, together with the Department of Public Administration, the Department of Legal Affairs, the Department of Defence and the Cabinet of Ministers.

The office of Vice-President Vincent Meriton will be responsible for the Department of Information, the Department of the Blue Economy, the Department of Investment and Industry, the Department of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT), the Department of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM) and this until it becomes an autonomous organisation.

The Vice-President's office also has the responsibility for the inner and outer islands, civil society and all religious and interfaith matters.

President Faure also announced that Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon will assume responsibility of the different ministries whenever their respective ministers are on overseas missions.

President Faure said during the meeting that other senior appointments will be announced starting Sunday evening.

President Faure has reminded the ministers that each of them are public servants and that they all form part of one team under his leadership to serve all the people and the country.

“Each of you have been entrusted important responsibilities. Always remember that with responsibility comes humility, honesty, frankness, sacrifices and above all hard work and more hard work,” President Faure stressed.  

“We need to start by putting in place necessary and relevant structures which will respond to demands for good governance, transparency and accountability,” President Faure pointed out noting that the structures should all be in place in the coming six months.

The president went on to state that all the necessary laws to support these structures must be reviewed and presented before the National Assembly before March next year.

President Faure further stressed that all policies and programmes of the different ministries and departments must be in line with the principles of the law, opportunities and social justice for all as well as ways to better redistribute wealth.

He added that these form part of the government’s effort to create a society which is more united, just, prosperous and more humane and where each and every Seychellois can find his or her place and where there is respect for one another.