President James Michel has hailed the relationship between Seychelles and the United Arab Emirates as one based on “true friendship and true partnership”.

 

This follows the official handover on Tuesday of five patrol boats donated by the UAE government to help Seychelles in the fight against piracy.

“The United Arab Emirates has aided Seychelles in one of the most challenging periods of our economic and social development,” said Mr Michel.

“With the growth of our true friendship and true partnership, we have worked together to fight the piracy scourge, to consolidate our social gains of the last three decades, and to provide economic growth and stability for the country at a time of global uncertainty.

“We are very grateful for the support of the UAE, and we will continue to develop our bilateral cooperation for the benefit of our peoples.”
 
Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Paul Adam, who was also present at the handover ceremony, said the UAE and Seychelles have wrapped up a year in which cooperation between the two countries has reached unprecedented levels.
 
He explained that after the macro-economic reforms started in 2008, President Michel wrote to international partners asking them to consider increased support for Seychelles as the country went through a difficult period.

This request was of particular importance because, as a middle-income country, Seychelles has not been eligible for most traditional forms of development help since 1992.

The UAE, under the leadership of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been one of the main partners to respond directly to this call, Mr Adam said.

The UAE government gave budget support help to the Seychelles government of US $15 million, which was used in the various priority areas identified in the immediate aftermath of the reforms and helped to cushion some of the negative effects.

In 2009, the UAE announced a $30m grant to build houses on Ile Perseverance as part of the government’s scheme to offer affordable housing to the whole population.

Construction began last year, and the first batch of houses is expected to be completed later this year.
 
“In the midst of our reforms, many of our larger public works projects had to be put on hold,” said Mr Adam.

“One of our foreign policy priorities during the reform period has been to mobilise assistance in these key development areas. We are pleased that the UAE has answered the President’s call in this area, which is so critical to our development.

“Without the UAE’s help in this sector, we would still be struggling to fund this project.” 

The UAE has also funded a new diagnostic centre for Victoria hospital, worth $11m. Building work began in 2010 and is expected to be completed later this year. 

Also last year, the UAE government donated two electricity generators worth $15m to help ensure the price of electricity does not rise to unaffordable levels.

Mr Adam said this was important in keeping the production of electricity in Seychelles more sustainable for the future.
 
The Masdar company, based in Abu Dhabi, is also in partnership with the Seychelles Energy Commission to develop renewable energy here, and the proposed investment in this sector could rise to $25m.
 
Despite its position as one of the major oil producers of the world, the UAE has also positioned itself as a leader in the field of renewable energy. In 2010, Abu Dhabi was chosen to host the International Renewable Energy Agency to promote the development of renewable energy worldwide.

In the transport sector, the UAE agreed to donate 40 buses to be used by the SPTC to maintain the accessibility and affordability of the public transport system.

The education sector has also benefited, through the new e-learning project that will see IT equipment installed in all schools. 

The five patrol boats handed over on Tuesday are part of a $15m grant to rebuild the Seychelles Coast Guard headquarters and its radar system. The new base will be on Ile du Port.

After the President’s visit to Abu Dhabi in 2007, the UAE government donated a Twin Otter plane for surveillance of our exclusive economic zone, as well as $4.5m worth of equipment for Victoria hospital.

Mr Adam said the total value of support from the UAE since 2007 is in the region of $150m.
 
The importance of investment from the UAE during the economic downturn cannot be overstated, he added – foreign direct investment from the Middle East was a significant contributor to the 6% growth in the economy last year.