Profitable for the past 10 years, IDC is funding its own development |12 January 2017

For the past 10 years the Islands Development Company (IDC) has been a profitable company paying a dividend to government and reinvesting in its own infrastructural development, its chief executive Glenny Savy has said.

“The IDC has for the past 10 years been profitable generating enough revenue to cover expenses on all the islands, pay a dividend to government and has for the past six to seven years been reinvesting its own funds in new infrastructural developments,” Mr Savy said.

Mr Savy said last year for instance the IDC made R20 million profit, the remaining of which after tax and dividend had been paid is being reinvested in modern infrastructure such as generators, desalination plants, new housing facilities for workers…

“We are proud to state that the IDC today can sustain all its activities and together with all the different companies it has created, the IDC boasts a little more than 900 workers,” Mr Savy said.

Today, apart from Aldabra which is managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and d’Arros which is privately owned, all the other outlying islands are owned by the state but managed and developed by the IDC in collaboration with the private sector.

Recently the IDC hosted a visit for the local press to see firsthand the development and activities taking place on several of these islands.

Speaking to the press after one of these visits, Mr Savy said he is proud to state that after receiving some financial support from the state to put in place necessary infrastructure and utilities, for some 10 years now the different economic activities on the island have been profitable.

Commenting particularly on the economic activities taking place on Astove, which has recently been much talked about for its fly fishing sport, Mr Savy remarked that Astove today boasts an increasingly popular fly fishing tourism with enthusiasts travelling from various parts of the world, mainly South Africa, Russia, the US, to partake in their favourite sport.

“It is a very popular activity and enthusiasts are willing to pay a lot of money to be able to indulge in their favourite sport,” Mr Savy said.

“It is another kind of tourism and this activity is not detrimental to the environment as the tourists are well-guided in this activity to ensure protection of the environment,” Mr Savy stressed.

The IDC is benefitting from foreign exchange through the facilities it is renting out on Astove and these are guest houses and the plane it charters, among other services it provides.

Mr Savy noted that prior to that Astove was being used for all sorts of illegal activities and its wildlife poached.

Meanwhile with regard to recent allegations of illegal activities taking place on several islands like visitors flying directly from Mauritius to Farqhuar without going through immigration at the Seychelles International Airport, Mr Savy has refuted these allegations saying if he was to allow any such flights without proper clearance and authorisation this would be a criminal act.

“There has never been such a flight and never has any such thing happened during the 35 years I have been with the IDC,” he stressed.

Mr Savy explained that cruise ships and other vessels from nearby countries such as the Comoros, Mayotte, South Africa, stopped on Assumption on their way to Aldabra or to take a chartered flight to Mahé but never before receiving proper clearance by officials from concerned authorities from Mahé.

Mr Savy went on to state an incident some four months ago where a yacht from Madagascar wanted to dock at Assumption but was refused permission and the case was handed over to the Coast Guard.

“We at IDC are really concerned by such incidents and we are vigilant because in these countries there is malaria and on our islands we have mosquitoes which can carry the disease thus our concern and all workers on the islands are aware of this. And for people to say we are carrying out such activities is really irresponsible,” he added.

“This is serious allegation and unless it can be proven, should never be said as it is something that can have serious impact on the population and the IDC is seriously looking into the allegation and we will use all legal means to deal with the matter,” Mr Savy said.

With regard to access for Seychellois to the outlying islands Mr Savy said there has never been any instance where a Seychellois has been denied access to an island administered by the IDC.

He said all Seychellois fishing vessels, leisure craft, yachts have all received help and support whenever they land on any IDC administered island.

“The IDC only tries to maintain control in order to prevent damage to the sensitive environment of some islands and illegal activities because  we all know that the outlying islands have been used in the past to transship drugs and as a platform for other illegal activities,” he said, noting that we do not want that to happen.

Mr Savy said the IDC has guest houses on different islands which Seychellois are encouraged to visit and many Seychellois visit Silhouette but other islands like Desroches , Alphonse , Farqhuar the IDC does not have the  capacity to fly large groups of people on trips to the outlying island as this is very costly.

He said people can always charter a catamaran, an helicopter, or Air Seychelles’ small plane for a trip to these islands but they have to find their own means of transport.

The accompanying photos show some of the facilities and features on Assomption and Astove.