(Seychelles News Agency) - The ways in which the Southern African Development Community (SADC) can contribute to Seychelles in important areas like tourism was one of the subjects discussed between President Wavel Ramkalawan and the executive secretary of the organisation on Friday.

SADC's executive secretary, Elias Magosi, who met with Ramkalawan at State House, told reporters that a number of topics, including potential areas of collaboration, were discussed.

"Generally, we focused on issues such as how we support member states like Seychelles, in various areas, like tourism, so we can close all those gaps present to ensure tourism maintains its contribution," he added.

Magosi praised Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, for its peaceful transition of power after the last elections in 2020, along with the performance of the island nation on the global corruption index.

"These are benchmarks that other member states in the region could actually use. So, when we measure the performance of the governance, such as aspects of corruption, we are using Seychelles as the highest benchmark, where others can actually follow," Magosi said.

He said that he also talked about his visions to advance national integration and accomplish certain aspects of peace and security in the region with Ramkalawan.

"I am in my second year in office and my mission is to move around the region to pay courtesy calls to the 16 leaders of the SADC member states, to introduce myself and share my vision," said Magosi.

The primary goals of SADC include promoting regional integration, economic development, peace and security, growth, eradicating poverty, raising standards of living for Southern Africans and assisting the underprivileged.

Seychelles joined the inter-governmental organisation in September 1997 but it left in 2004. The country's membership was reinstated in 2008 and in May 2015 joined the SADC Trade Agreement.

CEO of MUA Insurance Group meets President Ramkalawan

The MUA (Mauritius Union Assurance) group will be looking to bring new innovations to Seychelles in terms of its products. The statement was made to reporters by the chief executive of the company, Joerg Weber, after meeting with Seychelles' President on Friday.

The MUA delegation met with President Ramkalawan at State House. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

The visit is the first for Weber to Seychelles, having only recently joined the company and he said after speaking to his colleagues based in the island nation it was clear that Seychelles is interested in financial innovation.

"We are a company that has been in Seychelles for 16 years and we are not a big player in the sector. Through our group, we have competencies that maybe local players do not have to the same extent and those competencies might be quite interesting for Seychelles," he said.

Weber explained that President Ramkalawan brought up the subject of health insurance for Seychelles as well as other insurance which may help in cases of natural disasters.

The second-largest insurance provider in Mauritius, MUA was set up in 1948 and has been traded on the island's stock exchange since 1993. With offices and branches in Mauritius, Seychelles, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, the group employs over 650 people.

MUA was set up in Seychelles in 2011 and has an all-Seychellois staff led by country manager Emilio Freminot.

"We want to bring more innovative products to Seychelles, but that does not mean we want to walk on our competitors, but we want to offer products that are not being provided elsewhere," said Freminot.

There are currently four insurance companies operating in Seychelles, providing various services.