The IOC has a new secretary general
Edgard Razafindravahy succeeded Vêlayoudom Marimoutou as general secretary of the Indian Ocean Commission on July 15. Graduate of ESSEC, this business leader present both in the Malagasy media, printing and flour milling also has a long political career to its credit. He was notably president of the special delegation of Antananarivo from 2009 to 2014 before becoming minister. Since 2021, he is Minister of Industrialization, Trade and Consumption of Madagascar. During his first statement, Edgard Razafindravahy recalled the priority files of the regional organization, in particular the relaunch of a food security program and the establishment of a group purchasing system for essential products, already mentioned in May by Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles and President for one year of the IOC.
Tuna catches are decreasing
From 2022 to 2023, tuna catches in Seychelles waters increased from 113,566 to 69,000 tonnes. On the scale of the Indian Ocean, they follow the same trend, going from 403,000 to 373,000 tonnes. According to the Seychelles Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy, climate change is the main cause of this decline, the rise in ocean temperatures considerably disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems.
A COI program for business facilitation
The “Entrepreneurship and Business Facilitation” program (ENFA-HI), supported by the Indian Ocean Commission and the European Union, was officially launched in June. Its purpose is to accompany microphones, small and medium businesses, start-ups and national organizations supporting the entrepreneurial fabric in the tourism sectors, cosmetic and medicinal plants and seafood products. The ENFA-OI program will support the participation of economic operators from the Comoros, from Madagascar, of Mauritius and Seychelles at the Cosmetic 360 trade fair in Paris in October and at the Philoxenia tourism fair in Greece. A pitch competition for start-ups will also be launched to promote innovation in these three priority sectors..
