President Danny Faure has announced the appointment of two Deputy Secretaries to the Cabinet.  Mrs Margaret Pillay will be appointed as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Policy Affairs, and Mr Johny Bastienne as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Institutional Affairs. The Secretary of State for Cabinet Affairs remains Mr Mohammed Afif.

The Cabinet Office serves as Secretariat to the Cabinet of Ministers, as established by Article 67 of the Constitution.  It is also the focal point within the Executive for liaison and collaboration with the Legislature, the Judiciary and other institutions of State.

The Cabinet Office also contributes to policy development across Government, by ensuring that policy proposals and legislation are consistent with overall governance and regulatory frameworks.  It assists the President in monitoring the implementation of the Government's plans of action, and of the decisions of the Cabinet.

Mr Johny Bastienne holds a degree in Law from the University of London, and has held various legal consultant and advisory positions in organisations in London, Switzerland and Seychelles over a period of 15 years.  Most recently, he served as Senior Legal Officer to the Development Bank of Seychelles prior to his appointment in the Cabinet Office.

Mrs Margaret Pillay holds a Master's Degree in Education.  She served as CEO of the Agency for National Human Resource Development from 2012 to 2015, before she assumed the post of Principal at the International School of Seychelles.  Her appointment in the Cabinet Office takes effect on 1st May 2017.

The appointments of the two Deputy Secretaries to the Cabinet are intended to strengthen the Cabinet Office in delivering effectively on its constitutional mandate.