Former Tourism minister Alain St Ange remembers former VP Belmont   |29 January 2022

Messrs St Ange and Belmont

“Seychelles is today mourning the passing on January 28, 2022 of Joseph Belmont, the former vice- president of the islands.

“Joseph Belmont was an agronome by profession and he entered politics as a minister in 1982 after years working as a technician in the agricultural department of the islands. He was also the founding CEO of the Islands Development Company of Seychelles managing all the State-owned outer islands of the archipelago.

“In 1992 Joseph Belmont was the chairperson of the Seychelles Constitutional Commission when the islands sat to draft a new Constitution after years of having been a One Party State under President Albert Rene. Joseph became the Designated Minister in 1998 and in 2004 under the James Michel Government he became Vice-President of Seychelles.

“In 2009 Joseph Belmont as Vice-President was also holding the Tourism Portfolio when I was brought in to head the marketing department at the Seychelles Tourism Board. VP Belmont was seen at tourism trade fairs alongside myself in these early years of the island's tourism industry relaunch.

“I was happy to have worked alongside Joseph Belmont. He was a soft spoken leader who empowered his staff. Together we were mandated to relaunch the tourism industry after the private sector tourism trade had pressured the government for someone from the trade to head the island's marketing and later the Tourism Board. Coming from the private sector I conveyed the private sector trade's aspirations and proposals to Vice-President Belmont who was always receptive to ideas coming from the private sector which he saw as his front line team, and together we delivered for the country.”

Alain St Ange

Former Minister for Tourism of Seychelles