Press release

Seychelles Government participates at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers in Dar es Salaam

August 16, 2019
StateHouse

The Principal Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Seychelles, Dr. Marina Confait, led the Seychelles delegation to the SADC Council of Ministers that took place from 13th -14th August 2019 at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. The meeting was preceded by the Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the meeting of the Finance Committee from 9th – 11th August 2019.

Outgoing Chair of SADC Council of Ministers, Hon. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, from the Republic of Namibia, handed over the Chairship to Hon. Prof. Palamagamba Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Republic of Tanzania, who pledged his commitment to build on the achievements made by his predecessor in SADC’s effort in achieving regional aspirations.

In her opening statement, the Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, stated that industrialisation remains at the centre of the SADC integration agenda and also called for the need to redouble efforts so as to realise the desired results in order to achieve that agenda.

Hosted under the working theme of “A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Regional Trade, and Job Creation”, under which the SADC Secretariat identified and prioritised various projects that will oversee the industrialisation and development goals of the region.

This year’s SADC Council of Ministers opened with Member States paying particular attention to its liberation history and heroes, whilst reminding themselves how far the region has come and how far the region can go towards building the Africa we want.

The Seychelles delegation took the opportunity of the platform to introduce key strategic priorities onto the agenda, which includes the urgent matter of the Blue Economy and Maritime Security that continues to be at the forefront of our foreign policy.

The Seychelles delegation also included H. E. Mrs. Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre, Seychelles High Commissioner accredited to SADC; Ms. Cillia Mangroo, Principal Secretary for the Department of Trade; Ms. Angelique Antat, Principal Secretary for the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship; Mr. Christian Faure, Senior Counsellor in the Seychelles High Commission in Pretoria; Mr. Jean-Luc Louise, Third Secretary and Desk Officer for SADC in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Dean Vital, Principal Liaison Officer in the Department of Youth and Sports.