Alain St.Ange responds to statements made by the President during his visit to Seychelles International Airport

Alain St.Ange responds to statements made by the President during his visit to Seychelles International Airport On 31st July 2025, President Wavel Ramkalawan made an unscheduled visit to Seychelles International Airport. According to news reports and the official State House website, the visit was framed as a “technical site inspection” to discuss the Airport Redevelopment Project. During a hastily arranged press conference, the President denied claims that his administration plans to sell the airport and suggested that during my tenure as Minister, foreign media had interpreted my involvement as indicative of a possible sale.

I wish to address this directly.

During discussions with ADAC on possible cooperation for airport redevelopment, I was serving as Minister for Tourism and Culture. I was appointed to represent tourism interests, as the airport is the main gateway to Seychelles. My responsibility was to defend and strengthen tourism—our nation’s economic backbone. I consistently emphasised that a successful airport project depends not only on infrastructure, but also on the treatment and remuneration of its staff, whose dedication makes the facility function.

At no point was I involved in any negotiation to sell Seychelles International Airport. The President’s comments suggest otherwise. I must ask: if I were not a presidential candidate today, would this statement even have been made? What was his motive? What point was he attempting to make?

Watching the press conference, it became clear that the visit served as a staged rebuttal to growing public concern—raised by the opposition—over the airport’s future. The aim was not transparency, but to create an opportunity for the President to publicly refute these concerns and project a sense of strategic control. I leave it to the Seychellois people to judge the timing and intention.

Since the President chose to mention me by name, I will respond further.

According to various news reports, press releases, and Airport Authority staff, this administration *reinitiated* talks with ADAC in 2021. Initial discussions with the Ministry of Transport and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority led to a revised Airport Master Plan. That process moved to project modelling and is now reportedly in the financial structuring phase. From the President’s own words, they are now negotiating funding and cooperation terms.

Yet the public has received no explanation of why ADAC was chosen over other potential partners. No other entities were named. No rationale provided. The people of Seychelles deserve transparency on such matters.

While the President insists there is no sale, he seems to have missed the real concern: **the substance of the deal with ADAC and what it will mean in practice.**

• What level of funding is involved?
• What conditions and guarantees are being offered?
• What collateral is on the table?
• What commercial or operational control will ADAC have?
• How long will the people of Seychelles be financially tied to this agreement?

The President mentioned a figure of SCR 100 million. I invite the public to reflect: will the final figure—if ever disclosed—confirm or contradict that statement? It is my firm belief that no such figures will be released before the September 2025 elections. Based on recent patterns, we may see a symbolic foundation stone laid instead.

Foreign direct investments like this often include clauses ensuring investor returns—typically by embedding commercial and operational control. These often include scrutiny of staffing levels and performance, and efforts to "streamline" operations. President Ramkalawan stated no jobs will be lost. But the people of Seychelles were told the same thing when Etihad partnered with Air Seychelles. Do those who lost their jobs then believe that promise now? I have my doubts.

The President repeatedly mentioned “high-level technicians” and surrounded himself with staff during the press conference. Yet none were given a platform to speak. Why?

This is now the third visit the President has made to the airport since taking office. The first, in March 2025, was presented as a security inspection—where the President miraculously identified and resolved decades-old security concerns. The second, on 25th July 2025, was to address long-standing issues faced by taxi operators—issues his own administration created by arbitrarily removing parking access. Either these matters were beyond the authority of the Airport CEO, Board, and Transport Ministry—or they were bypassed altogether. I leave that to the public to decide.

What remains clear is this: the truth is known by the staff at the Airport Authority.

The people of Seychelles are not naïve. They will not be swayed by last-minute theatrics, smear campaigns, or political diversions.

In 2020, voters demanded change—perhaps more than they believed in the man who promised it. Ramkalawan was seen as the only one who could end political stagnation. He has now had five years to prove who he is, what he stands for, how he leads, and whether he delivers. As we approach the 2025 elections, the concerns of the people are different. The questions are harder. The expectations are higher.

Let’s ensure we ask the right ones.

Category:

Press release 

Oganisation:

Clevenard

Writer:

Tolu Osindero

Phone:

+34631279811

Location:

Spain