These days, it’s gotten increasingly rare to spot a payphone in any community across the country, but one expert says it's important to keep them from disappearing altogether.

An agricultural sector that is supported and functioning well plays a crucial role in ensuring food security in Seychelles and helps reduce the reliance on importation, said the Seychelles Farmers' Association chairperson. Andre Sopha, from Praslin, the second largest island of the Seychelles archipelago, has been the chairperson of the Association for six years. Sopha has been a farmer for 18 years and specialises mainly in livestock and fruits. He has served two mandates and told SNA that this will be his last and that election for the new chairperson and executive committee are expected to be held this year. The Seychelles Farmers' Association set up in the early 2000, has over 110 members from the three main islands of Seychelles, Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Around 40 farmers are from Praslin. With the high demands for produce from the population and the tourism industry, there is a need to increase agricultural production and sustainable agriculture. Sopha said, «We have undertaken major climate adaptation projects in two educational institutions namely the Grand Anse Praslin Secondary School and the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH). The two projects are doing very well. Both projects have been funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP).» The chairperson said that the Association has received 12 greenhouses, 10 are for farmers across the three main islands, one at Grand Anse Praslin Secondary School and the other at SIAH. The Association will also have solar water pumps and machines they can use to make value-added products for example, if farmers have excess oranges on their farms, they can use one of these machines to make a value-added product with these fruits. The Association's board will be holding a meeting to discuss which farms will benefit from these and a few elements will need to be taken into account including being up to date with their membership contribution. The equipment will not be given free of charge and those who will receive it will have to make a small contribution as well. Sopha (1st left) with the Seychelles' delegation at an international conference. (Andre Sopha) Photo License: All Rights Reserved    Challenges farmers face Sopha said, «Farms do suffer a lot during drought periods. So we hope to have a project at Amitie to help with this issue. We also face several other challenges such as a lack of resources for us to work with such as pesticides and fertilisers, which can impact our work and productivity.» He said the Association is working to ensure that there is an availability of resources for farmers to work with and one of them is land needed for farming. «Land is also an issue because we have individuals who want to start their farming business but cannot do so as plots of agricultural land are occupied by some farmers who are not being productive. We are working closely with the government to see how best we can address this issue whereby those interested in venturing into farming can do so by accessing a plot of agricultural land,» the chairperson explained. Giving knowledge and skills One of the aims of the Association is to ensure that its members are given new knowledge and skills to help them improve their businesses. «We bring in experts in respective fields to equip farmers with the latest information or skills on different elements such as fertiliser and how to measure acidity or humidity in the soil,» Sopha explained. He said the Association wants a vibrant and productive agricultural sector and that there is a need to see it as an important sector that is making a great contribution to Seychelles. Encouraging the youth to venture into agriculture To ensure that the agricultural sector remains sustainable for the years to come there is also a move to include more young people. To encourage young people to join the agricultural sector, Sopha said the Association is bringing in the use of technology in agriculture. «The world is evolving and so must agriculture. We have chosen two schools to work with because our young people are based there. At Grand Anse Praslin Secondary we have a rotavator which we have placed there for a period of time for the students to use, and have installed a new irrigation system that you only press a button and it waters the plants,» he shared.  «This is to encourage the youths not just to take up farming but to make them realise that even in agriculture there is evolution, to see that new technology exists within this sector, and the tiring ways of farming can be replaced by smart work,» he added. «We need to have good incentives and proper educational awareness on agriculture so that this young generation can take an interest in this field. So we need to find innovative ways to encourage our young people to continue developing our agricultural sector because we want to ensure food security and successful production in the future,» Sopha said. «I meet the authorities often but we need to see more actions being done and to hear the concerns of the farmers working on the ground. Farmers need to be part and parcel of decisions made which concern and heavily impact their work,» he added. 

Students from the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT) will have the opportunity to pursue career opportunities and able to earn work-based experience within hotels under the Hilton brand, through a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) The MOU was signed on Monday between the Institute and Hilton Seychelles by Vinesh Hurrychurn, senior director of engineering operations from Hilton and the Institute's director, Ferdinand Desnousse.   Through the agreement, Hilton-managed hotels in Seychelles and the SIT will collaborate in the Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) sector, with a particular focus on engineering operations within the hospitality industry. «This agreement is huge for SIT, as students, particularly in the engineering fields will be able to gain valuable experience by working at these hotels in Seychelles, where those who perform well, could even be granted opportunities to work at other Hilton-managed hotels in the region,» said Desnousse. The agreement will see the two entities collaborate and implement educational training programmes in accordance with the curriculum provided by SIT. It will also ensure the alignment with both the Institute and international standards to facilitate the professional development of individuals in the hospitality sector. The MOU will also present opportunities to plan and conduct events, including career guidance workshops and job fairs, to improve employability within engineering operations in the hospitality sector. It will also allow the exploration of opportunities for Hilton to support SIT in creating innovative approaches to student development. According to Hilton, who manage six hotels in Seychelles, the collaboration will also encourage qualified SIT students to pursue careers in the hospitality industry by offering internships and employment opportunities at Hilton. Subject to availability, this will strengthen the students' readiness for leadership roles in engineering and implement targeted programs to promote inclusion and diversity within engineering operations in the hospitality sector. This is the first MOU of its kind to be signed with a hotel, while the SIT has agreements with other local companies, to allow students to gain work experience there. The Seychelles Institute of Technology is a technical and vocational education and training institution set up in 2015 under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. At the moment, SIT offers students programmes ranging from certificate to advanced diploma level, in areas such as mechanical engineering, telecommunications, information technology, and automotive engineering, among others.

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These days, it’s gotten increasingly rare to spot a payphone in any community across the country, but one expert says it's important to keep them from disappearing altogether.

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[allAfrica]

European Union lawmakers signed the artificial intelligence (AI) act in June 2024. The AI act, the first binding worldwide horizontal regulation on AI, sets a common framework for the use and supply of AI systems in the EU. The new act offers a classification for AI systems with different requirements and obligations tailored to a 'risk-based approach'. Some AI systems presenting 'unacceptable' risks are prohibited. A wide range of 'high-risk' AI systems that can have a detrimental impact on people's health, safety or on their fundamental rights are authorised, but subject to a set of requirements and obligations to gain access to the EU market. AI systems posing limited risks because of their lack of transparency will be subject to information and transparency requirements, while AI systems presenting only minimal risk for people will not be subject to further obligations. The regulation also lays down specific rules for general purpose AI (GPAI) models and lays down more stringent requirements for GPAI models with 'high-impact capabilities' that could pose a systemic risk and have a significant impact on the internal market. The AI Act was published in the EU's Official Journal on 12 July 2024. It entered into force in August 2024. Fourth edition. 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages of the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP