‘Peser an Mouvman’ project officially launched |11 July 2022

Mr Laurence (centre) speaking at the launch ceremony on Saturday (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

A new project has been launched with the aim of developing the skills of Mahé-based fishermen through capacity building on how to conduct research, write projects, manage fiscal accounts and put in practice good governance, accountability and transparency.

An initiative of the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps), with funding – R774,280 –from the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) under its Blue Grant Fund (BGF), the project was officially launched on Saturday at the Bel Ombre fish market by chief executive of Ceps Alvin Laurence, in the presence of the platform’s chairperson Françoise Larue, Bel Ombre district administrator Tahiri Laurencine, representatives of the district’s fishermen association and the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) which is partnering with Ceps in the project.

According Mr Laurence, the new initiative will help the fishermen to address the issues of financial dependency, corruption and fiscal negligence and irresponsibility.

He said, through the grant, the fishermen will be able to apply for projects that will beneficiate the objectives of SeyCCAT and their non-governmental organisations.

Mr Laurence further added that with a fast movement in technology, additionally, the project will offer basic marketing and advocacy to the fishermen that will be for the betterment of sustain and marketing of their products on the local market.

The project will be under the supervision of Albert Duncan who announced that as part of the effort to involve the community, a photography competition will soon be launched.

He explained that the competition – based around the project’s theme (Peser an Mouvman) – will be divided into two categories, with one for fishermen only, while the second category will target the general public.

It was in March that the board of SeyCCAT announced the recipients of the Blue Grant Fund under the fifth funding cycle.

In 2021, the Trust received 54 applications with a total requested value of R49.6 million, and out of those, eleven projects have been confirmed for financing under the BGF scheme and one project  benefited from the new Blue Business Grant – SeyCCAT’s first partnership with the private sector to support local entrepreneurs tapping into the Blue Economy sectors.

Roland Duval