Category Archives: Seychelles

As Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), Caroline Abel (Economics Studies 1999) is one of the most influential figures in a country navigating extraordinary global events.

What began as a childhood love for mathematics has culminated in the Global Women Achievers Award at the 2022 World Women Leadership Congress Awards in Mumbai.

Covid-19 has been our biggest challenge since the Bank was established four decades ago, Caroline says. The shutdown of the tourism sector, which has a direct contribution of around 30% of our gross domestic product, caused the economy to come a standstill.

I dont see challenges as negatives, though. I see them as opportunities to do new and different things each day.

This mind-set, adopted during Carolines time at Leeds, has proven effective ever since as well as the recent accolade, Caroline was presented with the Africa's Woman Leaders Award and named Central Bank Governor of the Year in 2020.

Most importantly for her, however, is that Seychelles has emerged from the pandemic in a healthier financial position than anticipated.

Caroline traces her approach back to her upbringing and lessons taught by her father, Antoine Abel a man described as the Father of Seychelles Literature for bringing his countrys culture and language to the world stage. Whenever I had a problem, he never gave me an answer, but he asked more questions. He wanted me to understand that you have to look at problems from different angles.

This principle still helps me every day I have to make a lot of decisions and I have to look at all the policy implications.

Where Antoine found his calling in words, Caroline was drawn to numbers: I loved mathematics and my father thought I should become an accountant, but the career didnt appeal to me. I decided to go straight into work from school to gain experience, and thats where it all started for me to eventually become a central banker.

Caroline worked at the Social Security Fund for four months before joining CBS in 1994 quickly realising she enjoyed the challenge and variety. I spent two years working in various departments and was fortunate enough to gain a place at Leeds through our CBS scholarship programme.

That was really critical for me. I wouldnt be where I am now without that time at Leeds.

It was my first time outside of Seychelles, so of course I was a bit apprehensive, but when I got to Leeds I discovered a friendly community both at the University and in the city. Everywhere you went, people would welcome and help you. In fact, I even stayed in Leeds during the holidays to enjoy the countryside and other parts of the UK.

The teaching was excellent. The University community was so diverse, a place where cultures converged and learned from one another, and that was very special.

Following in Carolines footsteps, CBS continues to sponsor young professionals to study at Leeds University Business School. Education, for Caroline, is the key area that aspiring finance students cannot neglect: Training is the most important thing. You need a good grounding, then you must continue to develop because the world of finance is very competitive and its always changing.

Its getting even more diverse and requires expertise beyond people with financial backgrounds to tackle emerging issues, such as climate change. We didnt speak about it in the world of finance when I started, but now environmentalists play a big role.

Her growing experience and expertise saw Caroline appointed Deputy Governor in 2010, and in 2012 she was called on by the President of Seychelles to become the first female Governor in the countrys history. It was a great honour, she says although where others mentioned it, gender didnt really cross her mind. I think CBS leads on that front. We dont look at gender, we look at ability and performance.

That doesnt mean there werent challenges given the global nature of her work, where the gender gap was more notable. In international meetings I was often the only woman in the room, and thats still the case. More can be done at CBS, for example, we knew that family commitments were often compromising womens progression. Weve provided more flexible working for employees, so we were home-working long before Covid-19. We help to ensure women can go as far as they want to go.

Caroline was re-appointed after her first six-year term and has worked under three presidents of Seychelles. Her responsibilities keeping the cost of living stable, monitoring the financial system and ensuring banks are run well became more challenging during Covid-19, but the recent awards acknowledge her success. In particular, she is credited with developing transparency, supporting digitisation and collaborating across ministries.

We improved communication. We are talking more to the public and particularly during the pandemic, we helped the population understand what was going on and how they would be impacted. Its helped us to understand concerns much better, which helps us to improve. We designed new policies to support the private sector, and thankfully now tourism has quickly recovered.

Now we move onto the next challenge: the increase in the cost of living.

Caroline acknowledges the hard work and long hours involved in the job, but it is a role she relishes and for which she has been duly recognised. Every day there is something new to get to grips with.

I walk around the building once a week and talk to staff to understand issues, then we make decisions. The awards are for their work and the work of CBS. This is a team effort.

For further details, contact Ed Newbould, Digital Communications Officer, University of Leeds at e.w.newbould@leeds.ac.uk.

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Ten years leading the Seychelles economy - University of Leeds

Boulder residents Lisa and Peter Waugh are among the first people to return to service with the Peace Corps.

Later this month, the couple are set to leave for Peru more than two years after they originally planned to leave the country. They applied in 2019 and were all set to leave in March 2020, until the pandemic happened.

The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated almost 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the beginning of the pandemic.

The extra time to prepare has helped, but its not the first time the Waughs have embarked on such a mission.

They traveled to the Seychelles, an island country in East Africa, to serve in the Peace Corps in 1986. Peter worked as a roadway engineer, and Lisa was a community health nurse in the small country.

The island of Mahe in the Seychelles is about 18 miles long and 6 miles wide, Peter said.

When the Waughs decided to apply for service in the Peace Corps more than three decades ago, it felt like a good opportunity.

For Peter, it was a chance to put his engineering skills to use at a grassroots level. Lisa could use her nursing degree as a means of providing health care and support in the developing world.

At the time, neither realized the trip would lead to a lifetime of service.

After the first trip in the late 1980s, Lisa worked in public and global health. Peter worked on international water projects through Engineers Without Borders.

During the pandemic, the Waughs volunteered with the New Mexico Medical Reserve Corps, administering COVID-19 vaccinations in rural New Mexico.

The world is at a critical juncture. The largest global vaccination effort in history is underway while other widespread health, social, political, and environmental issues continue to erode the foundation of our global society. Actions taken in the next few years have the potential to fundamentally impact development trajectories for decades to come, Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn stated in a news release. Peace Corps volunteers returning to Peru will work alongside community members to support urgent development efforts and build critical connections.

The Waughs remember Seychelles for its indescribable natural beauty and the kind people who live there.

There are many countries where it takes time for Peace Corps volunteers to build relationships with local residents, Peter noted.

In the Seychelles, that was not the case. It was almost immediate, he said. And so thats what sticks out the most for me.

After their initial two-year stint in the Seychelles, the Waughs returned to Boulder. Both are from the area and wanted to raise their family in the city.

But returning to Peace Corps service was always in the back of their minds.

Lisa worked in various global health jobs over the years, all of which were impactful. But she said it often felt like something was missing.

I didnt feel like I was closely linked to the local communities, she said. I wanted to get back to community-based work.

In Peru, they will help with community economic development and on a water, sanitation and hygiene project.

With a previous experience in the Peace Corps and the extra time to prepare, the Waughs are ready for two years of service in Peru.

Its a pretty special opportunity to get to know another culture other than your own, Peter said. It is important for me and I anticipate loving it as much as I did last time.

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Boulder residents some of the first to return to Peace Corps service - Boulder Daily Camera

Cryptocurrency markets have recovered 5% over the past week, led by ether (ETH) alternatives solana (SOL) and polkadot (DOT).

Both blockchains native tokens outperformed the top 10 by market capitalization (excluding stablecoins). SOL gained roughly 22% in the past seven days while DOT rose 19%.

In fact, half of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies jumped more than 10% binance coin (BNB) by 15%; cardano by 13%; and XRP by 11%.

Bitcoin (BTC) and ETH were also in the green, up around 7% and 6% respectively. The total crypto market is now valued at over $1.27 trillion, up from $1.20 trillion last Thursday.

Despite the gains made by top altcoins, bitcoin dominance (which measures how much of the cryptocurrency market is BTC) has once more surpassed 45% its highest point since October when BTC was worth $61,000. At press time, BTC was changing hands for around $30,200. Ether has hovered around $2,000.

Other native tokens of crypto exchanges continue to stage impressive rallies alongside BNB. Platforms issue these tokens to reward holders. Seychelles-headquartered KuCoins (KCS) has done particularly well, up 42% over the past week, thanks to a hearty bounce on Wednesday.

KCSs price had nearly halved over the past month, dropping from almost $21 to $11.28. It now trades for $15. Meanwhile, Singapore-based Crypto.coms CRO token returned 15% in the past seven days.

Gains made by FTXs FTT and OKCoins OKB were more modest at 6%. Huobis HT traded flat while Bitfinexs Unus Sed Leo (LEO) bucked the trend and dropped 3%.

LEO is still up 30% year-to-date thanks to an advantageous seizure earlier this year of $3.6 billion BTC stolen from the platform in 2016. Cryptocurrency markets collectively lost 42% in that time.

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Markets Recover as Ether Alternatives SOL and DOT Outperform Top Tokens - Blockworks

VICTORIA, Seychelles--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has released an extensive review of the platforms performance in the period of Q1 of 2022. The document outlines some of the major milestones the exchange achieved and highlights some general performance statistics.

The report indicates that KuCoins cumulative trading volume exceeded $1 trillion for spot and futures trading, with an average daily volume of over $11 billion. In terms of the daily peak trading volume, KuCoin Spot exceeded $9 billion, and Futures reached nearly $15 billion.

The exchange attracted nearly 6 million new registered users in 2022 Q1, up 491% year-over-year. Asia, the Middle East & Africa and Europe ranked the top 3 in terms of user growth. Asia led the statistics with user registrations up 1,503% year-over-year. The Middle East & Africa and Europe are up 300% and 219%, respectively. User activity has also increased significantly in 2022 Q1, with the number of active users increasing by nearly 451% year-over-year.

The KuCoin community has seen a considerable boost, with the Twitter channel gaining over 320,000 new followers, reaching a total of 1.6 million. KuCoin increased the number of its global communities to 23, including 580,000 community fans.

The release of the KCS Whitepaper on March 29 is stated to have heralded a new era in the development of the exchange. The KCS Whitepaper outlined token distribution percentages, the deflationary mechanisms involved, and the essence of the self-circulating ecosystem. The development of the KuCoin Community Chain, or KCC, will become an important booster for KCS. KCC, a decentralized public chain built by the fans of KCS and KuCoins fan communities, will expand the decentralized use case for KCS, including paying KCS as gas fees or resource consumption fees, staking KCS to empower liquidity mining, and more.

On the user experience frontier, KuCoin Earn has added stablecoins, major coins and new projects in 35 assets options. KuCoin has listed 44 promising crypto gems and 59 trading pairs in Q1 of 2022, 19 of them being world premieres.

KuCoin has also achieved traction in partnerships, establishing relations with the Xangle virtual asset information disclosure and data research platform. The exchange partnered with Blocktopia, founding its first virtual office in the metaverse. KuCoin Labs has been expanding its investment footprint in Q1, including investments in nine crypto-native projects and the subscription of two crypto private equity funds amounting over ten million. KuCoin Labs also announced a strategic investment in MojitoSwap, the biggest DEX build on KCC.

With its team of talent nearing 1,000 personnel distributed across the world, up by over 200, KuCoin has performed well throughout Q1 of 2022. The data evidenced in the recent Into The Cryptoverse Reports released by KuCoin covering Germany, Turkey, and Africa also suggests that the exchange expects higher adoption and user engagement rates for the rest of 2022, despite the onset of the crypto winter.

About KuCoin

Launched in September 2017, KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange with its operational headquarters in Seychelles. As a user-oriented platform with focus on inclusiveness and community action reach, it offers over 700 digital assets, and currently provides spot trading, margin trading, P2P fiat trading, futures trading, staking, and lending to its 18 million users in 207 countries and regions.

In 2022, KuCoin raised over $150 million in investments through a pre-Series B round, bringing total investments to $170 million with Round A combined, at a total valuation of $10 billion. KuCoin is currently one of the top 5 crypto exchanges according to CoinMarketCap. Forbes also named KuCoin one of the Best Crypto Exchanges in 2021. In 2022, The Ascent named KuCoin the Best Crypto App for enthusiasts.

To find out more, visit https://www.kucoin.com.

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KuCoin Reports 491% YoY New Users Growth in Its Q1 2022 Review - Business Wire

The 9th edition of the Africities Summit has been launched today in Kisumu by His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya.Former Seychelles head of state, His Excellency Danny Faure also took part in the official ceremony in the presence of 3500 delegates from around the world and more than 2000 local authorities. For this event, Kisumu has set up an Africities Village at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium and its surrounding areas in order to welcome participants and exhibitors from the four corners of the world.

During the 5 days, discussions will be held around the theme of the summit: The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063. In line with the theme, Kisumu is the first intermediary city to host the event.

His Excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta in his speech called on the participants of the summit to make it a questioning forum for the summit to be successful. He proposed a 12-point questioning framework based on how national central governments can support a mobilization of resources to unlock effective delivery service in intermediary cities. what strategies and policies are required to combat the threats of radicalization and terrorism especially in the urban areas including our intermediary cities and what legal and policy frameworks should be established so as to foster the robust and sustainable development of intermediary cities among other questions.

Time is ripe for scaling up the role of intermediary cities as the next frontiers of African urbanization and development. An unprecedented rate of urbanization has seen 1086 intermediary cities become home to 174 million people representing 36% of our continents total urban population and contributing about 40% of our continents GDP. As we convene to deliberate on how we can establish a shift towards a new urban paradigm and unleash the potential of intermediary cities in fostering inclusive development and the realization of our SDGs and all other socio economic development initiatives we must keep in mind that Africa is becoming increasingly urbanized. The traditional rural focus within development plans risks marginalizing a growing section of our population which will soon be the majority,said His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya.

Local governments play a key role in the achievement of Agenda 2030 and SDG 13 through ensuring a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways. Cities produce between 71% and 75% of total greenhouses gas emissions (GHG). In this regard, despite increasing levels of attention and action on climate change at city scales, much of this activity is largely decoupled from national policy framework. UCLG Africa position on climate is that the battle against climate change will be lost or won in cities and territories. UCLG Africa advocates for territorialization of NDCs and the adoption of a bottom-up approach to their definition, starting from locally determined contributions (LDCs).

The reality of our continent is reflected in the way we treat our intermediary cities. Intermediary cities are your key target of governance. Treat them well and they will treat African citizens well, treat them bad and we will fail in our progress,said Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

A dialogue between former head of states followed the official opening on financing infrastructure and urbanization in Africa to achieve the SDGs and the UN 2030 Agenda and the Africa Union Agenda 2063.

African Union High Representative For Infrastucture Development, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga called for the establishment of an African Infrastucture Fund to fund the monetary deficit needed to build Africas infrastructure.

Africa needs 170 billion dollars per annum to be able to meet its infrastructure needs but has a deficit of about 110 billion dollars. We can work with several institutions to establish this fund because we have identified that Africa has idle capital such as sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and insurance funds. We are working towards tapping these resources to enable Africa fund its own development,he said.

Former President of Seychelles, His Excellency Danny Faure highlighted the need for bankable strategic infrastructure based on data.

It is important that we back up our interventions based on facts and data that shows us where we are in terms of development. The next step is to strategically choose the right infrastructure that will have the most effective impact on the continent and whose outcomes will be beneficial to our nations and populations. The approach on the continent concerning infrastructure needs to be co-ordinated and not fragmented,he said.

This first day of the summit was also dedicated to Diaspora. The African diaspora accounts for around 150 million people of African descent located in all the regions of the world. The African Union considers Africas Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa. Consolidating the relations between the Africa Motherland and its Diaspora and all the dimensions to give to these relations was at the heart of the discussions of the Diaspora Day. It is a key agenda to ensure the realization of the United Nations 2030 agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063. Its contribution to economic development is greater than public aid from international institutions. Also, a certain form of transmission of the Afro-descendant history gives rise to a great involvement of the new generations for a better knowledge of its identity but also an active participation in the emergence of this continent.

Synergy needs to be developed between the diaspora and the local population and local authorities need to set up programs in which the diaspora can concretely participate in for the development of the continent at local, national and continental level to make the continent shine internationally.

One of the best illustrations of the reality and weight of African Diaspora, is Ms Lupita Nyongo, who is the first Goodwill Ambassador of Africities. In her official video, Ms Nyongo expressed how honored she felt to be the Africities Goodwill Ambassador for this Year Kisumu is my ancestral home and I have witnessed its potential first hand. It has so much to offer and I can finally see its vibrant energy being tapped with the radical leadership of its governor, my father Professor Peter AnyangNyongo. I could not think of a better place to come together to discuss tangible solutions for the challenges facing Africa and its intermediary cities than the Africities Summit. Over the next 5 days, you will participate in interactive sessions, you will hear from inspirational speakers, take workshops, implement projects and dream up the Africa we want to see. One where everyone has access to food, healthcare, education, housing, public safety and peace.

Tomorrow the main sessions will include Africities Trade and invest forum, Digital Day, Culture Day, and a series of assemblies of UCLG Africa Networks to elect their office bearers. These include: the General Assembly of The Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), the General Assembly of Network of young local elected officials (YELO), the Assembly of Territorial Coaches, the Assembly of Permanent Secretaries/ Executive Directors of National Association Of Local Authorities, the Assembly of the network of City Managers (Africa MAGNET); the Assembly of the network of City Chief Finance Officers (Africa FINET);the Assembly of the network of City Chief Technical Officers (Africa TECHNET) and the Assembly of the network of Human Resource Managers of African Local and Regional Governments (Local Africa HR-Net); the Assembly of Territorial Managers in charge of Decentralized Cooperation; the Assembly of the African Media For Development (MADEL).

PS: Dont miss the daily press conference at the venue at 8:30 AM. Venue: Africities Media Centre

Find all the information: Presentation / Program / Speakers on: http://www.Africities.org

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).

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Press contact: [emailprotected]

This Press Release has been issued by APO. The content is not monitored by the editorial team of African Business and not of the content has been checked or validated by our editorial teams, proof readers or fact checkers. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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9th Africities Summit: Official Opening of the 9th Edition of the Africities Summit - African Business

KuCoin, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, has raised $150 million in a pre-Series B funding round led by Jump Crypto, the investment arm of US proprietary trading firm, Jump Trading, to further its Web3 presence and offerings.

This funding round also saw the participation of other investment funds, including Circle Ventures, IDG Capital, and Matrix Partners. This is the exchanges second funding round since its $20 million series A round. With this current new funding, KuCoin reaches a valuation of $10 billion.

KuCoin provides a comprehensive platform of crypto services to a global audience, which is one of the many reasons were proud to lead this round. We are pleased to support the company as it continues to grow and expand its offerings in futures and margin trading, lending, staking, and passive yield generation to support the growth of Web 3.0 and the crypto markets, said Tak Fujishima, Head of Asia, Jump Crypto.

The 4-year-old exchange with its operational headquarter in Seychelles has been on a steady rise since its inception, going from being the 49th largest exchange in 2018 to now being the 5th largest exchange based on trade volume, according to CoinMarketCap. It has also amassed 18 million users in over 200 countries and regions.

Growing from being just an exchange platform, KuCoin has also expanded into 2 financial investment arms called KuCoin Labs and KuCoin Ventures.

According to the exchange, this new funding will be used to expand its services beyond centralized trading and grow its presence in Web3 and its decentralized ecosystem. With this funding, it will broaden its portfolio with crypto wallets, GameFi, DeFi, NFT platforms, and DAOs through its investment arms.

With growing interest in Web3, metaverses, and blockchain technology, KuCoin is further staking its claim in the future of the decentralized web with this latest funding and intended projects. This comes months after the exchange, through its NFT marketplace, Windvane, launched a $100 million Creators Fund to support and incubate early-stage NFT projects.

KuCoin prides itself on being the peoples exchange, offering over 700 cryptocurrencies on its exchange, listing tokens with small to mid-sized market cap and with low trading fees. With this current push into Web3, itll live up to this reputation by banking on Web3s decentralization and openness to further its goal to make crypto and DeFi services available to anyone, anywhere.

According to KuCoins CEO, Johnny Lyu, The vote of confidence from prominent investors, including Jump Crypto and Circle Ventures, solidifies our vision that one day, everyone will be with crypto. KuCoin is built for all classes of investors, and we believe these new investors and partners will contribute to making KuCoin synonymous with a reliable and trustworthy gateway into the crypto space.

KCC, the public chain jointly built by members of the KuCoin community and KCS fans, will be a useful infrastructure to deploy resources towards these new Web3 projects and create a decentralized ecosystem.

KuCoin also plans to leverage this pre-series B funding to improve its global regulation efforts, build its core trading system for better performance, and enhance its security and risk management systems to make the platform more secure and accessible for users. It expects to launch decentralized wallet products later in the second quarter of 2022.

About KuCoin

Launched in September 2017, KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange with its operational headquarters in Seychelles. As a user-oriented platform with a focus on inclusiveness and community action reach, it offers over 700 digital assets, and currently provides spot trading, margin trading, P2P fiat trading, futures trading, staking, and lending to its 18 million users in 207 countries and regions.

In 2022, KuCoin raised over $150 million in investments through a pre-Series B round, bringing total investments to $170 million with Round A combined, at a total valuation of $10 billion. KuCoin is currently one of the top 5 crypto exchanges according to CoinMarketCap. Forbes also named KuCoin one of the Best Crypto Exchanges in 2021. In 2022, The Ascent named KuCoin the Best Crypto App for enthusiasts.

To find out more, visit the website.

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KuCoin Raises $150 Million to Further its Exploration into Web3. - TechCabal

In partnership with Island Innovation, Clinton Global Initiative named the USVI-based nonprofitIsland Green Living Associationthe Sustainable Company of the Year during the inauguralIsland Innovation Awardsceremony held recently (view recordinghere, 46.45-minute mark).

Chosen from among hundreds of entrants in 12 categories, the award was presented to Harith Wickrema, president of Island Green Living, by James Robinson, program manager for Clinton Global Initiative.

The Sustainable Company of the Year award recognizes an island-based organization that promotes sustainable solutions for their island and has introduced new and/or improved ecological goods, services, or strategies to help island communities become more sustainable, according to a press release announcing the award.

Judges include former President of the Republic of Seychelles James Michel; UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Ocean Peter Thompson; former President of the Republic of Kiribati Anote Tong; and a host of leaders in the academic, environmental, political and nonprofit worlds.

We are grateful to have this platform to extend our toxic sunscreen and other sustainable messages to a global audience. Being chosen as Sustainable Company of the Year from among the very deserving nominees is a testament to our amazing and committed staff, volunteers, and board members, said Wickrema in the press release. We thank Clinton Global Initiatives and Island Innovation for the recognition. It is our hope that our achievements will serve as inspiration to others to preserve our Earth.

When presenting the award, the Clinton Global Initiative representative cited Island Green Livings 18-year mission of turning what many would consider waste into a resource. The nonprofit got its start as Island Green Building Association with the mandate to promote green building and salvage used construction material to ensure sustainable development. In 2014, due to many environmental challenges such as overflowing landfills, accelerated coral damage due to toxic sunscreen, lack of recycling, etc., its scope was expanded to encompass all aspects of sustainable living and was rebranded Island Green Living Association.

Most recently, Island Green Living introduced the Ocean-Bound Plastics Recycling Program through a partnership with PADNOS, a Michigan-based, family-owned recycling company, the first such program on St. John, which has so far crushed 3,400 pounds of plastics since late February. It complements the organizations aluminum can recycling program, which has crushed 1.3 million cans to date; brush chipping program, which has processed 4,500 cubic yards of green and brown debris; and ReSource Depot thrift shop, which has kept nearly 700,000 pounds of material from the overburdened landfill.

The organizations advocacy campaigns have successfully banned toxic sunscreen containing the Toxic 3 Os of oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, plastic bags, straws, and the burning of vegetative debris in the territory while advancing awareness and education about these vital issues. The Ban the Burn campaign has contributed to the territorys excellent air quality, among only three places in the world meeting the WHOs clean air standards. In addition to the Sustainable Company of the Year award, Island Green Livings efforts have earned numerous accolades, including an EPA Environmental Champion Award in 2017 and a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action designation in 2020.

Island Green Livings programs are made possible through the generous support of donations. Tax-deductible contributions can be made at https://islandgreenliving.org/donate/or by mail at 5000 Estate Enighed PMB #38, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00830. Phone: 340-473-7870;info@islandgreenliving.org.

Established in 2004, Island Green Living Association is a registered 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization on St. John dedicated to sustainability throughout the USVI. Visit http://www.islandgreenliving.org.

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Island Green Living Named Sustainable Company of the Year by Clinton Global Initiative & Island Innovation - St, Thomas Source

I grew up listening to stories about my mum's childhood in the Seychelles Islands. I loved hearing about the gardens filled with mango trees, gigantic tortoises and fish caught from the verandah, just as much as I loved listening to the loud and joyful creole language that flowed through the house when family came to stay. But most of all, I loved sitting down to the big pot of red-lentil dahl that my mum cooked for us every week.

My granddad moved his family to the Seychelles in the late 1960s after learning about the African archipelago from one of his taxi passengers back in Perth. A childhood on the islands ensured that my mum left with some essential Seychelles skills: the local Creole language, the ability to crack open coconuts on rocks and the perfect recipe for Seychellois dahl.

In the Seychelles, red-lentil dahl, orlantiy,usually accompanies a spread of grilled fish, rice and salad. The dish is prepared by cooking red split lentils down until they almost resemble a puree. The flavour is enhanced with garlic, ginger and a generous pinch of salt. Sometimes, a bit of fresh coconut is grated on top. Like most Seychellois dishes, the dahl is born of the island's colourful heritage, being an amalgamation of French, East African and Indian cuisines.

For my mum, red-lentil dahl brings up memories of weeknight dinners in the Seychelles that involved buying packets of fish strung together with palm leaves from the local fishermen on the beach. The fish, usuallykarang(trevally),bourzwa(red-emperor snapper) ormakro(mackerel), were stuffed with garlic, chilli and ginger, and grilled whole. A green-mango salad dressed with lime juice, some rice and a helping of dahl completed the spread.

"Most of all, I loved sitting down to the big pot of red lentil dahl that my mum cooked for us every week."

In Perth, we ate red-lentil dahl with fish caught by my dad on the other side of the same ocean. I eagerly mixed heaped spoonfuls of dahl into my rice and forgot about the freshly caught whiting on the table. Years later, I learnt how to cook the dahl myself and slowly began varying the dish.

For my mum, the best version of the dahl is the simplest, but I enjoy adding a few extra ingredients to the meal: chopped-up potatoes, a handful of cherry tomatoes, lots of spinach, coriander and a dollop of Greek yoghurt on top turns the dish into something more than just a side dish. This version of the dahl travelled with me to France where, with my last few euros, I made pots of it in tiny hostel kitchens and served it with thick slices of bread from the boulangerie. When I moved out of home and began hosting dinner parties, my friends quickly came to expect a big pot of dahl to be waiting for their arrival.

My mum's family fled the Seychelles Islands during the 1979 coup d'etat, and while her father and brother eventually returned to make a life there, she did not. Our family has visited the islands over the years, but I know that she would've liked my brother and me to experience more of her childhood home than we did. However, her weekly pot of dahl has been enough to transport us all back to the Seychelles.

These days, I make the dahl more than my mum does, but it's become a meal that means a lot to us both.

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Photographs by Teneal Zuvela

This red-lentil dahl is a traditional Seychellois side dish that's served with fish, rice and salad. Every family will make their red-lentil dahl slightly differently, and this is the way that my family makes theirs.

Serves4-5

Ingredients

Method

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Seychelles dahl: The Creole recipe that is a family favourite - SBS

The Commission of the European Union has recognized the digital COVID-19 certificates of Indonesia, Seychelles and Vietnam as equivalent to the EU COVID Certificates issued by authorities in EU countries.

Such a decision has been confirmed through a statement published by the Commission of the European Union and comes in an effort to ease the travel process further, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The new changes mean that passengers from these three countries mentioned above will be permitted to enter the bloc under the same rules as those who hold EU Digital COVID-19 certificates.

With the accession of Indonesia, Seychelles and Vietnam, the number of countries and territories connected to the EU system has increased to 67. Moreover, in view of the summer, the EU certificate will facilitate the movement of Europeans within the EU and beyond. Therefore, while we are happy to see that the situation is improving, the certificate remains a useful tool for many destinations, for example, in case of testing requirements, the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, pointed out in this regard.

According to the announcement published by the European Commission, the decision will take effect starting tomorrow, May 11.

Last month, the Commission of the European Union announced that it decided to accept the COVID-19 certificates issued by authorities in Colombia and Malaysia as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

As a result, these two countries are now being connected to the EUs system, and the EU will accept their COVID certificates under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This also means that holders of certificates issued by Colombia and Malaysia will be able to use them under the same conditions as holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate do, the Commission notes in a statement.

Previously, in two separate decisions, the Commission of the EU announced that it decided to recognize the COVID-19 certificates issued by Benin and Jordan as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, permitting holders of such documents to enter the EU Member States under the same rules as those who hold the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

Authorities in the EU countries created the EU Digital COVID certificate in order to facilitate the travel process amid the COVID-19 situation in order to ease the travel process for holders of such documents.

Previously, it has been confirmed that over 1.7 million EU COVID Certificates have been issued by EU countries since June 2021.

Originally posted here:

EU Accepts COVID Certificates of 3 More Third Countries as Equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate - SchengenVisaInfo.com -...

Culinary traditions of Seychelles

Seychellois cuisine is the cuisine of the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago country consisting of 115 islands. Fish plays a prominent part in country's cuisine[1] because of its location in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles's cuisine has been influenced by African, British, French, Spanish, Indian and Chinese cuisines.[2][3]

The use of spices such as ginger, lemongrass, coriander and tamarind are a significant component of Seychellois cuisine.[3] Fresh fish and fruits are sold by street vendors in various places.[1]

Staple foods include fish, seafood and shellfish dishes, often accompanied with rice.[1][3] Fish dishes are cooked in several ways, such as steamed, grilled, wrapped in banana leaves, baked, salted[4] and smoked.[1] Curry dishes with rice are also a significant aspect of the country's cuisine.[3][5]

Additional food staples include shark, breadfruit, mangoes and fish.[2]

Coconut water and fresh juices are some of the beverages in Seychellois cuisine.[1] Alcoholic drinks include the palm wine calou (or kalou), bakka rum and beers produced in the country such as Seybrew and Eku.[1][2] Wine is obtainable at most Seychelles restaurants.[1]

There are a multitude of restaurants in the Seychelles with a diverse variety of styles, from casual to fine dining.[1][2]

The Indian Ocean Tuna company's processing plant is one of the largest tuna canneries in the world.[1] It is located in Victoria, Seychelles.[1]

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Seychellois cuisine - Wikipedia