Islands for sale in Maldives
Sixteen islands and islets of the Maldives, put up for sale by the country's government, visibly struggling to find a buyer. Their price was recently revised downwards by 30% and ranges from 300,000 to more than a million euros.. Buyers have until June 10 to register. Seriously impacted by the health crisis, the Maldivian state, very dependent on tourism, looking to fill its coffers.
Îles Eparses : the impact of climate change under study
Le Champlain, National Navy building, hosted a scientific mission in April to study the effects of climate change on coral reefs in the French Scattered Islands. Due to their isolation and very low human pressure, these islands offer the rare opportunity to study the effects of climate change on corals alone., the builders of the reef, and the natural degradation processes of the coral reef. The campaign is led by the Development Research Institute, in partnership with the Taaf administration, the University of Reunion, the CNRS, Ifremer…
Maurice
The Agaléga Indian base raises questions
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth denied the evidence, on May 18 before the National Assembly, affirming that the current construction site on the island of Agaléga was not intended to create an Indian military base, but only infrastructure intended to develop fishing and coconut cultivation. The satellite photos dating from last December and visible in particular on the Google Earth software nevertheless show very large-scale works. We can see in particular an aeronautical roadway of around 3,000 meters, almost completed, numerous buildings grouped together in the north of the island, or several wharves have also emerged.
The amount of this work, made by an Indian company, is announced at 87 million dollars. The Mauritian opposition has requested the sending of a parliamentary mission to the island, which has a little over 250 inhabitants.
The IMF and the World Bank very critical
At the end of a mission in the sister island, The International Monetary Fund has strongly criticized the involvement of the Bank of Mauritius in the Mauritius Investment Corporation, structure set up in 2020 to help large Mauritian groups get through the health crisis. The MIC has a capital of 60 billion rupees, drawn from the country's foreign exchange reserves. The IMF requests that its financing be done within the framework of the State budget.
Fine May, it was the World Bank which criticized the strategy of the Mauritian central bank, considering that the latter was exposed to a significant commercial risk and describing its practices as “unorthodox”.
Already 70 million euros in aid to Air Mauritius
The Mauritian Minister of Finance indicated on May 26 before the National Assembly that the total amount provided for the moment to Air Mauritius – and to its subsidiary Air Mate, call center – amounted to 3 billion rupees, or around 70 million euros. 1,200 employees of the airline and 800 employees of its subsidiary are currently paid by the State.
Profit and loss of IBL
The Mauritian conglomerate announced an overall loss of 189 million rupees in May (3,8 million euros) in the first quarter of 2021, but a profit of 309 million (6,2 million euros) from July 2020 to the end of March 2021. The diversity of IBL's activities allows it to demonstrate resilience in the face of the unprecedented crisis facing the country and the world.. In nine months, its hotel division lost 656 million rupees (13,2 million euros). Other sectors, such as the Winners supermarkets or the group's construction and engineering division, remained in the green. Arnaud Lagesse, general director of IBL, once again called for the reopening of the island's borders in order to restart the economy.
Seychelles
Air Seychelles renationalized
After 9 years of a not always happy marriage with Etihad Airways, the renationalization of Air Seychelles was made official on April 29. The Emirati company waived 79% of Air Seychelles’ debts, which amounted to a total of 72,3 million dollars. The Seychelles State must also conduct negotiations with bondholders, to which he only wishes to repay $20 million out of the 71,5 million invested.
The economy still very fragile
The Seychelles economy remains fragile, warned the governor of the country's central bank on May 18. Caroline Abel notes in particular that the amount of savings deposits is decreasing, probably because households are dipping into their savings to cope with rising prices and falling incomes, linked to the crisis.
However, Seychelles has recorded an increase in revenue since the reopening of its borders to commercial flights.. More than 24,000 visitors have been recorded since this date.
Mayotte
Mahorais forests better protected
The decree creating the Mayotte forest nature reserve was published on May 4. It will cover 2,801 hectares, spread over several massifs, or 7,5% of the land territory of Mayotte and 51% of state and departmental forests. The main issue is the protection of natural islets on mountains and ridges., last relics of the primary forest, and the restoration of bordering secondary forests, which are home to fruit bats and lemurs.
The Departmental Council and the National Forestry Office have also initiated a watershed reforestation plan., with a first objective of 150 hectares by 2023. This effort, co-financed by the European EAFRD program, should help avoid losing nearly 700,000 m3 of water in rivers during the dry season.
The State Secretariat for Biodiversity indicates that the creation of the nature reserve will be accompanied by “specific means to guarantee the protection and good management of this exceptional ecological heritage. »
A helicopter company launches
Récif Hélicoptères received its Air Transporter Certificate on May 21, 2021 from the services of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation to start its commercial air transport activities. Since June 1, the company based on the Pamandzi airport site offers four tourist circuits above the Mahorais lagoon, of Petite Terre and Grande Terre. The shortest, lasting 15 minutes, costs 125 euros per person. The longest, a complete overview of the department, lasts 50 minutes and costs 379 euros. The Récif Hélicoptères Robinson can carry three passengers.
“The options selected for the R44 will also allow it to participate in coastal border surveillance missions”, announces the company, which will “later” offer an air shuttle service on request between Petite Terre and Mamoudzou.
The community's air strategy on hold
As the departmental elections approach, the Mahorese community has still not made its position known regarding the air strategy that it will support for the future. Corsair offers to buy into its capital, a rapprochement with Ewa, the subsidiary of Air Austral, was also considered, as well as support for the new company project led by the Novou brothers and called Zena Airlines. The 25th from, a collective of citizens from Mayotte came to demonstrate during a permanent commission of the Department, pleading for the third solution.
Madagascar
From scarcity to famine
The subject still did not make the headlines in the Tananarivian press or in Malagasy government news., nicer. The warning signals sent in recent weeks by non-governmental organizations are nevertheless worrying. The serious food shortage that has been raging for a year in the south of the country could turn into famine. Fine May, more than 1,3 million people required emergency food aid and the World Food Program estimated its needs for the coming months at $74 million to respond to the Malagasy emergency. President of the France-Madagascar friendship group in the Senate, Nassimah Dindar sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 20 to alert it to this worrying situation..
Chinese diplomatic offensive
Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the Chinese National People's Congress, spoke at the end of May by videoconference with the president of the Malagasy Parliament, Christine Razanamahasoa, with the aim of strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two legislative bodies. Likewise, a webinar recently brought together representatives of the Chinese Communist Party and the Madagascar Coalition, the political movement of President Rajoelina. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce also announced that the flow of Chinese direct investments in Madagascar had grown in 2020 against the global trend with preliminary estimates amounting to 34 million euros.. Beijing should also soon make donations of anti-Covid vaccines to Tananarive.
Good results from Chinese hybrid rice
The development of the cultivation of hybrid rice varieties of Chinese origin is a symbol of Sino-Malagasy cooperation put forward by Beijing to illustrate the current good relations between the two countries.. A hundred technicians and a thousand rice farmers
