The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, met with the executive members of the Praslin Business Association (PBA) at State House yesterday afternoon.  Discussions ensued on various issues relating to the business environment on Praslin.

Specific issues discussed included the challenges that the Praslin businesses faced in relation to vertical integration; the fisheries sector; security; public access to beaches; the need for better policing of boat activity in the area around Praslin and the large potential for further agricultural development on the island.

President mentioned the new maritime security law that the Government is working on and will be submitting to the National Assembly later this year.  This would assist with policing of activity in the waters of Praslin to ensure the safety of users and a level playing field amongst operators.  Furthermore, the Association felt that better policing would give the Government a chance to boost tax revenues.

In line with the State of the Nation address, there is a new policy regarding vertical integration which is being developed by Government.  The President thanked the members of the Association for their input into the development of the policy which is on schedule to be implemented before June of this year.  The Association also took the opportunity to mention their input into a working group that the Ministry of Fisheries had established and had been satisfied with progress thus far.

On the issue of security, members expressed that they had seen an improvement in security recently.  It was agreed that security was crucial for the continued development of tourism in the country and some new initiatives to further boost security were discussed.

The Association were briefed on the progress being made with regards to some infrastructural projects that had been mentioned for Praslin; the Pasquere road, Curieuse Island and the reclamation earmarked for Grand Anse, Praslin.  President explained that one of the primary aims of the infrastructural investment was to increase the benefits of tourism to the Praslinois as well as giving the island a catalyst for economic diversification.

The President welcomed the members for their points raised in the meeting and called upon the Association to continue the productive working relationship with the Government for the benefit of Praslin’s economy.