President Wavel Ramkalawan chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet yesterday, Wednesday 11th May at which a number of policy memoranda were considered.
Cabinet approved for the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH) to be co-managed jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture Climate Change & Environment and the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education will retain the responsibility for ensuring that the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture complies with the relevant sections of the Tertiary Education Act and the education and pedagogic compliance standards as outlined in their Charter and Quality Manual as well as other statutory regulatory instruments regarding the management of Professional Centres. The Ministry of Education will also assist with professional development in terms of pedagogical training of the full time and associate instructional staff.
The Agriculture Department will be responsible for the strategic visioning of the Institute and its day-to-day running. The Director of SIAH will report to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
It was felt that this new arrangement would bring greater impetus into the sector and promote employment in the sector.
The President advised that such co-management model may be used by other Professional Centres and the Ministry of Education. The SIAH will also explore twinning arrangements with an international Institution to allow for the transfer of skills and knowledge, similar to the links between Seychelles Maritime Academy and CINEC, and between the Seychelles Tourism Academy and the Shannon College.
Cabinet approved for a review of the Agriculture Act of 1966 to establish a strong legal and institutional framework for all agriculture related matters and to fill in the gaps left by the repeal of the Seychelles Agriculture Agency Act in 2021.
Cabinet approved for the introduction of the National Awards Bill, 2022. The Bill will allow the President (as the Chancellor of the Order) to confer national awards upon persons who are deserving of recognition by virtue of their extraordinary and meritorious service to Seychelles in various fields of endeavour or acts of bravery. The Bill will also establish a National Awards Committee, which will be tasked with making recommendations to the President on who should receive the national awards. The first award ceremony will be held on 29th June as part of the 2022 National Day celebrations.
Cabinet approved amendments to Schedules 4 and 5 of SI #1 of 2015 (Revenue Administration (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations). These amendments are necessary to update the list of countries for which certain information must be provided by all Seychelles Financial Institutions to the Seychelles Revenue Commission concerning financial accounts held by non-residents in Seychelles; this update should be done by 30th June of each year.
In order to bring more clarity in the law, Cabinet approved amendment to S.I #80 of 2019. The amendment will clarify that ITZ licensees who held a licence before 27th December 2019 and who renewed their license thereafter will continue to benefit from business tax exemption until 31st December 2022.
Cabinet approved for a review of the terms of service of members of the Cleaners Cooperative. This would allow for better supervisory arrangements between the cleaners and the organisations that use their services. The Cleaners’ Cooperative was established under the Cooperatives Act in 2009 to provide cleaning services to the public and the private sector. The Cooperative which has 621 members has been running at a loss. Cabinet has also requested an audit of the affairs of the Cooperative.
Cabinet approved the concept and location of the new building for the Seychelles Revenue Commission. The land behind the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS) has been identified as a suitable location for the SRC building in view of its quick and convenient access to its clients, being on the outskirts of the Central Business District and having ample parking space. The building which will be built by the Green Island Construction Company (GICC) will house all of SRC's activities.
Cabinet was briefed on the status of Government’s capital projects. The President requested that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) prioritize their projects. Cabinet also agreed that MDAs should take proper ownership of their projects and to clearly define the requirements and scope of their projects so they may receive appropriate support from the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency (SIA). Cabinet also requested that MDAs should attach a focal person to each project to liaise with the SIA.
Further details to the media will be provided by the relevant Ministry.