U.S. embassy Victoria announces arrival of new chargé d’affaires   |18 October 2023

Adham Loutfi

The U.S. embassy to Seychelles has announced the arrival of Adham Loutfi as the new chargé d’affaires to the U.S. embassy Victoria.

Mr Loutfi, who will be based in Mahé, was officially introduced to the acting principal secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Selby Pillay, yesterday morning.

In his role as chargé d’affaires, Mr Loutfi will be responsible for the United States’ bilateral relationship with Seychelles, which includes managing the expanding portfolio of diplomatic, economic, and security-related priorities shared by the U.S. and Seychellois governments.

In remarks, Mr Loutfi said, “President Biden has emphasised that the future of this planet will be decided in Africa. The U.S. embassy in Seychelles is about establishing partnerships that offer positive choices to Seychellois. Seychelles is a long-standing partner on regional security cooperation, including the annual Cutlass Express military exercises. More recently, we have been working with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy to help Seychelles develop a sustainable aquaculture sector. In addition, our U.S. Embassy team in Victoria is working to implement the full range of U.S. cultural and educational exchange programmes, which include our ongoing programmes such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and study abroad scholarships through the Fulbright Programme. In the coming months, we will announce some exciting collaborations with the Ministry of Education focused on English language teaching and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.”

Mr Loutfi is a veteran diplomat, with 20 years as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. He has worked for the U.S. Department of State in assignments that include Dhaka (Bangladesh), Podogorica (Montenegro), Tokyo (Japan), Kabul (Afghanistan), Dublin (Ireland), and Paris (France).

Mr Loutfi was raised in Oakland, California, and attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. He completed a Master of International Administration degree with the School for International Training in Brattleboro,

Vermont. He worked for more than 12 years with that organisation's College Semester Abroad office as an Academic Director, where he arranged, taught, and managed semester abroad programmes for U.S. college students in Africa, Australia, and Europe. He and his wife, Crystal,

have two children.

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