First round of reforms President announces sweeping reforms |02 February 2021
The appointment of new boards and the scraping or phasing out of some departments and pieces of legislation are some highlights of the first in a series of sweeping reforms announced by President Wavel Ramkalawan in a live nationwide broadcast yesterday morning.
This comes exactly 99 days after President Ramkalawan took office.
In his opening remarks, President Ramkalawan thanked all those who came forward to come and help the country and also urged the appointees to work for the country pro bono for one year.
“The boards were costing the country a sum of R36.2 million and with these reforms we will be making a savings amounting to R12.2 million. The people appointed were recommended by the concerned ministries based on their efficiency. We have also made sure to include people from Praslin and La Digue. Especially on the board of l’Union we have included young Diguois to oversee the ‘heart’ of La Digue. Also all post of special advisors have been abolished and those with expertise will be given new positions,” explained President Ramkalawan.
Below are the highlights of the changes announced by President Ramkalawan:
1. Vice-President’s Office
a. Information Department to be scrapped.
2. Office of the Designated Minister
a. The post of Principal Secretary in the office of Designated Minister will be phased out
3. Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Trade
a. The post of Special Advisor within the Ministry will be phased out.
b. The Fair Trading Commission Board will be phased out. The law will be amended for a tribunal structure through the Judiciary and discussion is currently ongoing with the AG’s Office.
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism
a. The STB Act 2005 will be repealed.
b. STB will be brought under the direct purview of the department of tourism as the Marketing/Promotion headed by a DG.
c. The current Tourism Department will be converted into a Directorate General, retaining the current functions and headed by a DG.
d. The new Tourism Department will be headed by a Principal Secretary.
e. A five-member Advisory Council will be appointed to advise the Minister on tourism-related matters.
5. Ministry of Internal Affairs
a. The post of Special Advisor for Immigration and Civil Status will be phased out.
b. The current ten-member Trafficking in Persons Committee will be reduced to seven.
6. Ministry of Transport
a. The Road Transport Commission will be merged with the Department of Transport
7. Ministry of Health
a. APDAR will be transferred as part of the Health portfolio. The Act establishing the board will be repealed.
8. Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family
a. The posts of Special Advisor to the Minister Family Affairs and Special Advisor for Youth will be phased out.
b. The Department of Poverty Alleviation will be phased out.
c. The Board of the National Sports Council (NSC) will be phased out.
d. The Seychelles National Youth Council (SYNC) board will be phased out.
e. The National Council for the Disabled and the National Council for the Elderly will be a division within the Department of Family Affairs. Their respective boards will be phased out.
f. The board of the National Council for Children will be phased out.
g. The Youth Enterprise Board will be phased out and government will propose one structure for all of the grants.
9. Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry
a. The boards of the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB), Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA) and Industrial Estates Authority (IEA) will be phased out.
b. NISTI (National Institute for Science, Technology and Innovation) will be restructured.
10. Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs
a. The post of Special Advisor for the Ministry will be phased out.
b. Kevin Perrine is the new Principal Secretary for the ministry.
c. Currently Local Government has 15 members on the Internal Assessment Committee and another 4 members on a Vetting Committee. Only the Vetting Committee will remain with 4 members.
11. Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment
a. The post of Special Advisor for the Ministry will be phased out.
b. The Seychelles Agricultural Agency and National Biosecurity Agency will be merged within the Department of Agriculture as two divisions. Hence, both boards will be phased out.
c. However, to ensure the border control function, the post of Chief Biosecurity Officer will be created.
d. The Seychelles Energy Commission will be transferred as a division within the Department of Climate Change and Energy. The board will be phased out.
e. The National Botanical Gardens Foundation and Seychelles National Parks Authority will be merged and their respective boards phased out. The new entity ‘Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority’ with a commercial board will be created.
f. The LWMA board will be reduced to 7 members.
12. Ministry of Education
a. The post of Special Advisor for the Ministry will be phased out.
13. Ministry of Employment & Social Affairs
a. The government will reconstitute the Agency of Social Protection Board
b. Children’s Fund: Instead of a Fund, a budget allocated to Social Affairs will be supervised by a panel.
14. Independent Institutions
a. The ACCS (Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles) will be converted into a Council with the present commission done away with.
b. The ACCS will also take on the role of administering the declarations of Public Officers and the declaration of assets by Constitutional appointees and thus the role of the Public Ethics Commission and the Public Persons (Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests) Commissioner will be phased out.
c. The Complaints Office will be phased out as each ministry will handle their own complaints.
15. Boards
Seychelles Ports Authority
Gilbert Frichot – Chairperson
Nichol Elizabeth - Member
Brian Loveday - Member
Audrey Rose - Member
Philipe Hoareau – Member
Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA)
Marlon Orr - Chairperson
Sherin Francis - Member
Kelly Chetty - Member
Garry Jupiter - Member
Yannick Roucou – Member
Financial Services Authority
Patrick Payet - Chairperson
Seylina Verghese - Member
David Esparon - Member
Robert Stravens - Member
Philip Moustache - Member
Samantha Esparon - Member
Cindy Vidot - Member
Wendy Pierre - Member
Richard Rampal - Member
Postal Services Board
Norman Weber - Chairperson
Ayub Adam - Member
Audrina Dine - Member
Judeth Dodin - Member
Tessa Henderson – Member
Seychelles Pension Fund Board
Marc Hoareau - Chairperson
Patrick Payet - Member
Elsie Morel - Member
Brenda Morin - Member
Jovinella Rath - Member
Shannon Jolicoeur - Member
Shella Mohideen - Member
José St Ange - Member
Sarah Lang - Member
Nisreen Abdul Majid - Chief Executive Officer
Seychelles Trading Company Board
Imtiaz Umarji - Chairperson
Ashik Hassan - Member
Jerry Adam - Member
Jamshed Pardiwalla - Member
Siana Bistoquet - Member
Astride Tamatave - Member
L’Union Estate Board
Frank Hoareau - Chairperson
Damien Thesee - Member
Nadine Maillet - Member
Vincent Cedras - Member
Carline Jeannevol - Member
Carl Mills - Member
Melton Ernesta - Member
National Bureau of Statistics
Caroline Abel - Chairperson
Elizabeth Agathine - Member
Marquise David - Member
Shirley Adrienne - Member
Brian Commettant - Member
Gerard Adonis - Member
Raghavi Naidu - Member
Joelle Perreau - Member
Jane Houareau - Member
Industrial Estate Authority
Chief Executive Officer - Roy Collie
The Boards of Seychelles International Mercantile Banking Company (Nouvobanq) and Development Bank of Seychelles will also be restructured once the proposed board of directors complete the due diligence process with the Central Bank of Seychelles.
Vidya Gappy/Press release from State House