Philianne Ernesta first recipient of the Brendon Grimshaw Scholarship Award |03 December 2022

Ms Ernesta in a souvenir photograph with guests at the ceremony

Philianne Ernesta, the director general Policy and Programme Management Division of the Department of Blue Economy, is the first recipient of the Brendon Grimshaw Scholarship Award.

This award is fully sponsored by the Moyenne Island Foundation Society.

To recall, the department of the Blue Economy had partnered with the Moyenne Island Foundation to celebrate the African Union Day of the Seas and Oceans in July this year. Following this event, the Moyenne Island Foundation made a commitment to sponsor one Seychellois with a scholarship to pursue their studies in a field related to ocean and environment management and sustainability.

Ms Ernesta noted that this scholarship is a great opportunity for her to further her knowledge in her career path. “I already have some experience and for sure this will increase my capacity. I have been in the Blue Economy department for some years now and what we have seen is that we do not have enough people to work in the department. It has become a priority for people to train more in that field.”

Ms Ernesta will pursue her studies with the School of Oriental and African Studies which is affiliated with the University of London.

Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari, congratulated the recipient of the scholarship and noted that it was during the visit of President Wavel Ramkalawan to Moyenne Island that the President spoke to Suketu Patel, the chairman of the Moyenne Island Foundation Society, about the possibility of sponsoring a Seychellois for further studies.

“We have a very small department at the Blue Economy and our focus remains the training of the next generation. Moyenne Island fits so nicely in our vision of how things should happen – partnership with the private sector, partnership with NGOs. I know Brendon would be happy to see what is happening now. When we say to preserve an island, that does not mean we should not develop it. Keep doing what you are doing there.”

Minister Ferrari concluded by saying that the commitment of Philianne Ernesta in her work is a statement that she will deliver in her master’s degree.

Mr Patel shared that as Brendon Grimshaw was ageing, he was worried about what will happen to the island. “It was at that moment that I proposed to Mr Grimshaw to have a foundation and to have people of trust on it, making sure the island will not be sold or hotels will not be constructed on it. After he passed away, the Foundation kept functioning and with our charter we made sure the island will be preserved. We also employ people to take care of the island.”

Mr Patel also shared that Seychelles has to be focused on where we want the country to go and the foundation will try to help those who are interested in the preservation aspect of Seychelles as a whole.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme