Seychelles launches 2021 FiTI report |03 March 2023
Seychelles Nation
The Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy and the Seychelles National FiTI Multi-Stakeholder Group (NMSG) have produced and formally launched the country’s 2021 FiTI Report.
The NMSG is a body made up of government, private sector, and civil society representatives with the responsibility of steering the affairs of Seychelles’ FiTI implementation process.
This report is the 3rd published report of FiTI since Seychelles acceded to the initiative in 2017.
The country also underwent its first validation process last year and obtained the ‘meaningful progress’ status.
The 2021 FiTI Report already addresses one of the corrective actions outlined by the validation process, which stated that the Seychelles’ FiTI NMSG must clarify whether government financial transfers or subsidies are given to the country’s large-scale commercial fisheries sector.
The 2021 FiTI Report was collectively produced by the Seychelles FiTI NMSG with the support of several parties such as the FiTI National Secretariat, the Seychelles Fishing Authority, the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy and other MDAs.
The report, which is being published in conformity with the 12 transparency requirements of the FiTI Standard, goes beyond the mere reconciliation of payments and receipts and includes contextual information such as a summary description of the legal framework and fiscal regime, the sector’s contribution to the economy, production and export data, state participation in the fisheries industry, revenue allocations, sustainability of revenues, licence registers and licence allocations.
While disclosures on the management and use of fisheries resources are vital in fostering an informed citizens’ engagement on natural resource governance, the country’s long-term objective of enhancing the development outcomes of the fisheries sector will not be served if citizens do not take hold of the reports to demand accountability and the appropriate policies. Seychellois could take interest in the report and to use its findings and recommendations in their policy engagements.
On his part, the chair of Seychelles’ FiTI, Philippe Michaud, stated in his foreword: “This third FiTI reporting process [has] revealed the Seychelles government’s commitment to improving the quality of its information on fisheries and fishing activities and the strides it has made to fill important information gaps…the report reflects mainstreaming of transparency in the Seychelles fisheries sector, i.e., the process has become more about updating information in the report rather than filling in large information gaps. The next step is to work towards making use of the data and ensuring that published information feeds into public debates and policy development.”
The Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, together with WWF and the FiTI International Secretariat, is organising a national workshop on March 28, 2023 to discuss the findings of the 2021 FiTI Report and explore how the information it contains can support reforms of the marine fisheries sector in Seychelles.
Press release from the Ministry of Fisheries & the Blue Economy