(Seychelles News Agency) - The outgoing governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles, Caroline Abel, presented Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan with a copy of the Central Bank’s strategic plan for 2024 - 2028 during a visit the President made to the institution on Friday.

Ramkalawan visited all the different sections of the Central Bank, and he described the work environment as excellent and an ideal example that government departments should emulate.

President Ramkalawan visiting the Central Bank of Seychelles, in the company of Governor Caroline Abel and CBS staff (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Speaking to SNA after the visit, Abel said that the President's visit was meant to coincide with the 45^th Anniversary of the Central Bank, which was celebrated on the December 1, 2023.

“We invited the President to attend our anniversary lectures, however, at the time the President was otherwise engaged with COP28, therefore, he could not attend. He told us he would visit at a later date but then with the events of the December 7, it was put off to January.”

She clarified that through this visit they “wanted the President to visit the Central Bank in its totality…We also took this opportunity to explain our strategic plan to him, what plans we have for the next 4 years and the nature of the work that the Central Bank does.”

According to the governor, during this visit Ramkalawan showed appreciation for the institution and identified certain tools that he said were very innovative and useful that he can also use.

The President meeting with staff of the bank (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

One tool, for example is “the PESTLE model that was part of the different tools used to draft the new strategic plan. Information that is readily available on our website,” said Abel.

According to CBS’ website, the PESTLE is an acronym for a model that CBS uses to analyse its macro environment. It looks at different aspects and the effects they have on the institution. P – Political, E – Economic, S – Sociological, T – Technological, L – Legal, and E – Environmental.

At the end of December 2023, Abel announced that her departure from the post in March 2024 when her contract ends.