Security of Africa's waters are paramount for peace, Seychelles' president tells Japan conference

Faure made a statement at the plenary session on ‘Strengthening Peace and Stability.’ (State House) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - A prosperous Africa is reliant on peace and stability which are essential catalysts for sustainable development, the President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, said at an international conference in Japan.

Faure was addressing the plenary session on ‘Strengthening Peace and Stability’ at the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) on Friday, said State House.

“The safety and security of our waters, the very lifeblood of our continent, is without a doubt paramount to peace and stability on our continent. Whilst our waters offer immense potential it can equally be host to significant problems for our countries,” said Faure.  

He said that in this regard, Seychelles wishes to reiterate its appreciation to regional and international partners, and members of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) for their steadfast support.

“Since we are in TICAD, I wish to highlight in particular the valuable role of Japan which assists both bilaterally and multilaterally. We call for continued vigilance and respect of legal agreements as piracy has been contained but not totally defeated,” said the President.

The head of state of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, said that “As all states assume greater ownership of the security issues plaguing our waters, we welcome greater collaboration between Africa and international partners.”

Faure said that this will help achieve harmonisation of national laws to guarantee legal finish in the prosecution of perpetrators of illicit maritime activities; strict adherence to agreements and law enforcement mechanisms to combat Piracy and illicit maritime activities; and sharing of information and coordination of operations to combat maritime crimes and threats.

On the sidelines of the conference, Faure held a series of bilateral talks on Thursday.

Faure met with the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Qu Dongyu on the sidelines of the conference. (State House) Photo License: CC-BY

Discussions with the representatives of the Japan-AU Parliamentary Association led by Daishiro Yamagiwa focused on ways Seychelles and Japan can further deepen bilateral relations through mutually beneficial exchanges.  

Faure also met with the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Qu Dongyu. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss and identify possible areas FAO can better support Seychelles through exchanges of technical expertise in areas such as agriculture, fisheries and the Blue Economy.

The Seychelles’ president also attended the Blue Economy side event co-hosted by the government of Kenya,  Japan and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the theme “Transformative Actions for Inclusive, Innovative and Sustainable Blue Economy for Africa.”

Faure with SIB representatives at the stall in the TICAD exposition.  (State House) Photo License: CC-BY

Faure also visited a stand of the Seychelles Investment Board at the TICAD 7-Japan Africa Business Forum Exposition organised to showcase and promote a wide range of investment and business opportunities.

From Japan, Faure will travel to Cape Town, South Africa where he will deliver an address at the African Sovereign Wealth and Pension Fund Leaders’ Summit on September 3rd.