Seychelles’ President attends opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023

The presidential delegation in Abu Dhabi (State House)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan is attending the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023, currently being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), according to a press statement from State House on Tuesday.

On Monday, the President and his delegation were present at the opening ceremony of ADSW together with many heads of state, high-level officials and dignitaries from around the globe. Other heads of state and government present at the event included those from Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Palau, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Uganda and Ethiopia.

President Ramkalawan with UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and other world leaders (State House) CC-BY

The Zayed Sustainability Prize Award Ceremony was also held alongside the opening ceremony. The prize was established in 2008 and is the UAE’s pioneering global award for recognising excellence in sustainability. It recognises non-profit organisations (NPOs), small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and high schools for their impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainable solutions across the categories of health, food, energy, water and global high schools.

The Seychelles delegation at the 2023 ADSW also comprises of the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change, Flavien Joubert, the CEO of the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), Joel Valmont and the CEO of the Seychelles and Meteorological Authority (SMA), Vincent Amelie.

Apart from the main events, the Seychelles delegation is also taking part in the various forums and thematic sessions being held as part of ADSW 2023.

Meanwhile, Seychelles has developed several projects through the ADSW and bilateral relations with the government of the UAE for the development of renewable energy projects, with the Arab nation being its main partner in this domain.

In 2013, a wind farm of 8 turbines was installed in the Port of Victoria, becoming the first significant renewable energy provider in the country, which was financed by the UAE and the project was managed in collaboration with Masdar – a UAE government body for renewable energy.

In December 2022, a 5-megawatt solar farm was inaugurated on Seychelles' man-made island, Ile de Romainville, which was financed mainly through a loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), which was again a projected developed in cooperation with Masdar.

Meanwhile, Seychelles is aiming to develop further projects so that it can achieve its target of 15 percent renewable energy by 2030.