President Michel’s visit to Anse aux Pins and Au Cap |07 August 2015

 What the small businesses say:

President James Michel yesterday visited small businesses at Anse aux Pins and Au Cap as part of his customary visits to various districts to see for himself how those businesses are doing, the problems being encountered, their success stories and visions for the future.

The president, accompanied by the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation Michael Benstrong; his principal secretary Marise Berlouis and MNAs and DAs of both districts, started off his tour at Anse aux Pins where he visited Melinda Fanchette’s day care centre, Darrel Mousbe’s barber shop, Jovanna Lafortune’s hair dressing salon, Brian Figaro’s steel fixing workshop and Clement Moumou’s bakery .

At Au Cap the presidential delegation visited Suzanne Edmond’s sewing workshop, Harry Zelia’s mechanical workshop, Dave Fred’s bakery,  Val de Pres craft kiosks; Simon Gamatis’ home bakery and Harry Samson’s self-catering establishment.

And the following are what the businesses had to say to the president:

Ms Fanchette’s day care centre

Ms Fanchette said her day care centre gets lots of demand but she has space constraints. She is operating in her mother’s house where she has turned the living room into the day care. She takes in children from three months old just after their mother have completed maternity leave. She wishes to be assisted by the district in fencing off her premises for child safety and also to allow the children to play outside more.

Darrel Mousbe’s barber shop

Darrel said his business is going quite well and has a part-time worker. He also would like more space.

Jovanna Lafortune’s hairdressing salon

Her business is doing quite well, she receives many clients but most of her revenue goes into business expenses. Her wish is to have a salon and spa.

Brian Figaro’s steel fixing workshop

His welding business is going well and also needs more space. He has even made the necessary formalities and applied for a piece of land but not yet successful. He said he needs about 25 square metre space.

Clement Moumou’s bakery

He specialises in ‘biskwi bourbon’ and ‘larou saret’ but had made cakes seen from long time ago to show the president. He delivers in various shops every week and sale is quite good. He works at home together with his wife.

Suzanne Edmond’s sewing workshop, Au Cap

Her sewing business is doing fine but is being threatened by the fact that people nowadays choose to have their clothes sewn overseas or imported. She has clients like Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) and the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) and the Seychelles Defence Forces (SPDF). Her marketing is done through her products. She works with her daughter who is a College of Visual Arts graduate. She has even offered to sew combat uniforms for the SPDF. She has been in that business since 1993.

Harry Zelia’s mechanic workshop

A very ambitious young man specialising in vehicle body works. He said demand is high especially from car hires but due to space constraint he has to do one by one. He employs young people and there were two working when the president visited. He worked at PMC auto before but decided to venture on his own after President Michel urged people to ‘leve debrouye.’ He wishes to train more young people and needs larger space for that. Minister Benstrong informed him he has been earmarked for a new venue in a year’s time. Harry has been doing this business for one and a half years.

Dave Fred’s bakery

He specialises in bread, cakes and snacks and delivers his products everywhere in shops and for occasions like anniversaries or weddings. For the moment he is content and said he welcomed the president’s visit. If tomorrow he decides on a bigger venture it will include the construction of building too for his business.

Val de Pres craft shops

Craftsmen there want more tourists to stop by and stay longer at their shops and  buy their products. They need a sign by the roadside indicating the craft village, and asked for concessions on raw materials especially for pottery.

Simon Gamatis’ home bakery

Mr Gamatis specialisies in cakes, samoosas and other snacks and delivers his  products in shops and schools. His business is doing well and he also works on orders. He has contacted DBS for a larger project as he already has a piece of land but finance is a big problem. He also showed the president the plan of his planned new building which has even been approved by the Seychelles Planning Authority. He works with his wife and children.

Harry Samson’s self-catering

President Michel was greeted with a bouquet of flowers from Harry’s small daughter on his arrival at their home. The president also had gifts for the children. Harry was a pilot on international flights but decided to start his own business as he also wanted to spend time with his family. He has plans for two one-bedroom apartments. He also complained on the credit facilities and high taxes in place. He advertises on Booking. Com, TripAdvisor, Agoda and was expecting new clients from America. He urged the Seychelles Tourism Board to speed up with the ranking system as he needs official ratings to create trust in clients as they tend to choose accommodation according to reviews.