President Wavel Ramkalawan chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet yesterday, Wednesday 1st September, at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.
Cabinet was updated on the status of the ongoing efforts to enhance and improve the Seychelles electronic Public Financial Management (PFM) system following which it endorsed request for budget support for the fiscal year 2022 to modernize the Financial Management Information System (FMIS). The modernised system will secure integration between systems in the payment process. It will also lead to a paperless and signature free budget preparation and execution process.
Cabinet approved proposals to address the financial shortcomings of the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC). These will include providing SPTC with an additional subvention of SCR 27.4 million to cover the shortfall in the 2021 budget; increase in bus fare from SCR7 to SCR10 effective 1st October 2021; re-introduction of the air-conditioned bus service at a reasonable rate to be decided by SPTC;increase in fares for night service, Sundays and Public Holidays to SCR 15; cashless payment system with a different fare for those using cards at R10 and those paying by cash at R12 will be effective 1st October 2021; amendment of existing regulations with regards to the increase in fines for fare evaders. Cabinet also approved for a comprehensive reform of SPTC.
Cabinet approved amendments to the Minor Offences (Fixed Penalties) (Amendment) Bill, 2021; and Minor Offences (Fixed Penalties) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 of the Road Transport Act.
Cabinet also approved amendments to legislation in connection with the accession of foreign nationals to Seychellois citizenship.
Cabinet approved for Seychelles to withdraw its participation in the negotiations of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) in view of the country’s resource constraints vis a vis the number of ongoing trade negotiations. Seychelles will focus its resources towards concluding the African Continental Free Trade Agreement negotiations, which started in the midst of the TFTA negotiations but moved at a much faster pace and also encompasses a larger coverage (54 African countries) including all of the 28 countries negotiating the TFTA.
The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) was an initiative to create a free trade area between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), to resolve challenges associated with overlapping membership in the three regional trading blocks.
It is to be noted that Seychelles still remains an active member of the COMESA FTA and SADC FTA and would retain its preferential market access to members of these Free Trade areas.
Cabinet was appraised of the current context of burial services and gave approval of reforms in its oversight status, operations, and its management. The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs will have the responsibility for management of cemeteries.
Cabinet approved the amendment to the Defence Act. The rank of Senior Captain will be repealed under the Schedule of the Defence Act.
Further details to the media will be provided by the relevant Ministry.