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Seychellois agricultural economist Alex Mend dies in Nairobi |25 September 2013

Seychellois agricultural economist Alex Mend has died in Kenya, three months before he was to retire. Seychelles Nation learned that Mr Mend died Saturday.

In a letter sent to Mr Mend’s widow, Greta, President James Michel has expressed his condolences and sympathies with the family on the passing away of one of the first Seychellois who worked in the United Nations system.

“It is with deep shock and with tremendous sadness that I have just learnt of the passing of your husband, Alex. We were all immensely proud of Alex. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and an exemplary international servant. He was a true ambassador of our country who always exhibited the highest standards of probity and integrity in everything that he did.

In his own quiet and modest way he did much, wherever and whenever he could, to advance the cause of small island developing states.


  We shall always be grateful to him for what he has done for us. He shall and will always remain in our memory as a perfect gentleman and a true Seychellois,” writes the President.

He continued by saying: “Today, as you and your loved ones mourn the passing of Alex, I wish to assure you that you are not alone. We extend to you our solidarity. May I, on behalf of the people of Seychelles and personally, extend to you, Greta, to your children, to your family and Alex’s family our deepest sympathies and condolences.

 I pray that you find the strength and courage to overcome this terrible and tragic loss.”

Mr Mend was the chief agricultural economist of the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department of East Africa Regional Resource Centre (EARC) within the African Development Bank (AfDB) and was based in Nairobi, Kenya.
 
With Seychelles being one of the countries under his responsibility, Mr Mend was working on a middle income country trust fund grant project with the objective of conducting a series of feasibility studies in the area of agriculture, for example irrigation, infrastructure and capacity building, to come up with an integrated agricultural project for AfDB financing.

He was to retire in three months time in Mauritius. He has left behind his Mauritian wife Greta and children.

After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Mauritius, Mr Mend worked as an extension officer at Anse Boileau and was later promoted to head the agriculture and research unit.
He left Seychelles in 1992 to join the AfDB where he worked for 21 years.

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