Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Wallace Jude Keith Cosgrow, Principal Minister and Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy of the Republic of the Seychelles

Rome - Today, FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu met with H.E. ​Wallace Jude Keith Cosgrow, Principal Minister and Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy of the Republic of Seychelles, on the margins of the 37th Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) at FAO headquarters.

The Director-General welcomed the Minister to FAO headquarters and expressed appreciation for Seychelle’s support to COFI, noting it was an important pillar of FAO’s governing bodies, providing crucial support to FAO Members' fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Director-General also appreciated the long-standing strong collaboration between FAO and the Seychelles, and commended the country for its positive economic development, stability and strong tourism sector. 

The Minister thanked the Director-General for the support extended to the Seychelles in various food security related matters, stating that the government attached great importance to the fisheries sector, which was pivotal for the blue economy in the Seychelles.  The Minister also informed that the Seychelles would continue to rely on FAO’s support to strengthen and develop further inland fisheries and the aquaculture sector. 

The pair discussed the possibility of increased FAO support on the ground and different avenues of technical support that could be explored for development of fish feeds. They also agreed on the need for the country to increase its focus on the promotion of high value goods and commodities, merging that with the tourism, tradition and culture sectors to strengthen the economy, which was already on a positive trajectory. 

The discussions further touched on the need to address vulnerability to further develop the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, and both reaffirmed their commitment to continue to work together for the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture and the blue economy to achieve food security in the country.