Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry |01 August 2022

The ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the new office

New office brings services closer to Praslin business community

In order to bring its services closer to the community, the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry (MIEI) has opened a new office at Grand Anse on Praslin.

It is located at the ex-Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA) office in the Pension Fund Complex building.

It was the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Devika Vidot, who officially opened the office alongside the two Praslinois officers – Micheline Joubert and Terry Hibonne.

The officers will provide guidance on how to access the ministry’s services and agencies as well as provide adequate business development services.

The new office also comprises a meeting room which can host video call meetings.

However, as the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA) already has a fully-fledged office in Baie Ste Anne, the community is encouraged to use it for issues relating to the agency although the new office can also provide guidance and assistance for same.

In her address to the attendees, Minister Vidot shared that MIEI is the voice of businesses and it provides support to facilitate the success of businesses.

She expressed that too often the strength of the inner islands, on an economic perspective, is overlooked but MIEI recognises and appreciates that.

“The private sector is dominant on the inner islands and many small and medium enterprises can be found on both islands. They thus play a significant role and can be viewed as a key partner in the country’s economic development. We therefore found it very important to bring a representation of our ministry closer to this community.”

“Inner island inhabitants who need to make use of our services can now have a direct point of contact with our Mahé office. Before, they might not have known where to go for such services. This office will therefore help to bridge the gap between our services and the inner island community’s needs.”

She also shared her hopes for this new step in her ministry’s decentralisation effort. “I hope that the community will welcome this initiative and take advantage of it. That they stay engaged with us so that we can better assist them. I therefore remind everyone in the business community or those wishing to join the business community that our doors remain open to you all.”

The opening ceremony started with an introduction of the MIEI and different services that it offers and the possibility for queries about the office itself. This was carried out in the presence of MIEI officials, inner island members of the National Assembly, liaison officers, district administrators, entrepreneurs and business representatives.

The initiative was welcomed by all present and MIEI was praised for its step towards decentralisation of services and encouraged to keep upskilling its staff in order to provide maximum services on both islands and reduce the need to constantly travel to Mahé, although certain services will still need to be done on Mahé.

The new MIEI office is open weekdays between 8am and 4pm with a one-hour lunch break at 12 noon.

With a vision to create wealth and generate employment responsibly in a conducive environment, the MIEI oversees investment, entrepreneurship and business related affairs of the country.

Its core objectives are to facilitate the ease of doing business, create entrepreneurship framework to promote greater economic activities and thus help increase domestic revenue collection, have a positive impact on balance of payments, reducing level of unemployment in the country and streamlining and digitalising services.

This is done by the collaborative work of two divisions namely Science, Technology & Innovation Division and the Policy, Planning and Research Division as well as five agencies – the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB), the Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA), the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS), the Industrial Estates Authority (IEA) and the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA).

Text & photos by Nadia Bedier