President Danny Faure met with the Board of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), at State House yesterday afternoon. The meeting follows the President’s commitment late last year to meet with various public boards during 2019.

The meeting was an opportunity for President Faure and members of the Board to discuss lengthily the role of SBC in the development of the country, to reflect on its work so far and strategy moving forward, and for the members of the board to share their views.

President Faure noted that during the last two years, the Government has focused on building strong institutions, giving more autonomy to the institutions and implementing good governance whereby the CEOs report to the Board and the Board reports to its parent ministry. In the case of SBC, the law was amended to strengthen its governance structure and reinforce its independence, in addition to the appointment of a new Board.

The Board of SBC comprises of members from different sectors of society, which has allowed SBC to strengthen its democracy as the public service broadcaster. During the meeting, the President highlighted the critical role of SBC in the development of the country, that is to educate, inform, and entertain as well as to inspire the public.

During the meeting, the President and the Board discussed how SBC could build on its credibility and how it should ensure it shares accurate information. They also discussed areas for improvement, including capacity building for SBC staff, the general conditions of work and delivery of its services, and modernising the equipment.

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that all issues raised in the meeting would be addressed by a new working framework, which will be drafted over the two months.

Present at the meeting in addition to the Board members was Vice President Vincent Meriton, who holds the portfolio for Information, Principal Secretary at the Department of Information, Mr Denis Rose, the Chairperson of the Seychelles Media Commission, Dr Marie Reine Hoareau, and Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Media Commission, Mr Ibrahim Afif.