The Seychelles delegation, in New York for the Creole Island’s First Overseas Investment Forum, showcased the Seychelles Islands’ potential to American Investors. The country’s Vice President and Finance Minister, HE Danny Faure opened the New York Forum with an expose on the mindset change that has revolutionized the way of doing business in Seychelles, and he brought out the desire of the Indian Ocean Group of Islands to welcome American investors. Mr. Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank had the honor of delivering a keynote address on behalf of the Seychelles Islands to the USA delegates, press, and investors. Pierre Laporte, the governor of the Seychelles Central Bank, used the forum to present the major economic reform program recently undertaken by the islands, which has been a major success and has been endorsed by the Bretton Woods institutions and the country’s bilateral parters. “Today Seychelles offers not only investment opportunities, but security for investors,” Governor Laporte said.
Sherin Renaud, the CEO of the Seychelles Investment Bureau, took the 60-plus potential investors from major USA firms and press through a list of opportunities that existed in Seychelles. She highlighted opportunities in low-impact, high-value tourism businesses, value addition in the fishing industry, aquaculture, green energy sector, financial services, and property development. Sherin Renaud whose office organized the forum in New York said at the end of the forum that she found that the New Yorkers were not only impressed by opportunities available in Seychelles, but also by the natural attributes and beauty of the Seychelles islands.
Steve Fanny, the CEO of the Seychelles International Business Authority, also used the New York forum to promote Seychelles as a credible offshore financial center. He brought out facts and figures on what has been happening in the Seychelles financial center, one of the OECD white list offshores centers. Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and eTurboNews ambassador, presented the Seychelles as a unique tourism destination to the US delgates. He emphasised that US investors should not accept anything less than Seychelles in which to branch out of the US. “Seychelles is just another world offering security, ultimate beauty, a climate refered to as the land of perpetual summer, the best white sandy beaches, clear turquoise blue seas, and a diversity of people that makes any visitor feel at home in these islands that remain free of common tropical [disease] such as malaria, yellow fever, etc.,” Alain St.Ange said.
The New York Economic Forum was also the opportunity for Craig Heeger, the CEO of the Eden Island Development, to present his Residential Villa Development project to the US investors. Craig Heeger showed pictures of some 200 residential villas already completed on Eden Island and of the amazing facilites being offerd by this development, which also includes a marina.
Minister Peter Sinon, the Seychelles Minister for Investment, Natural Resources, and Industries, had the honor of delivering the forum’s closing address. “Today through this forum, we have invited you, our friends from the States, to do a bit more when you visit our shores – we have opened up the Seychelles business and investment opportunities to you and offered you the possibility to join American hotel chains such as Hilton and Four Seasons which have very recently set up shop in Seychelles. With air links by Emirates through Dubai; Air Seychelles through London and Paris; and Kenya Airways through Nairobi; respectively, Seychelles is no longer out of reach for the American citizens and businesses. In addition, with new offshore financial opportunities opening up in the world, our two countries are now neighbors in the virtual world,” Seychelles Minister Sinon said.
Seychelles will host a second overseas Investment Forum, this time in Brussels, on October 21. The Seychelles delegation hosted in New York by the Seychelles Ambassador to the USA, Ronny Jumeau, and their Consul General, Justin Etzin, leaves New York on Wednesday.
