‘There is tremendous potential in our youth which demands to be harnessed for the good of our country. To do so, we must give them the opportunity of a holistic development. We must invest in their education and training, and equip them to be the future leaders of our country. This is what the concept of the Seychelles Young Leaders Programme stems from.’
1. Mr President, the young leaders who have followed the programme – as well as their supervisors – have hailed it, saying it has turned the graduates’ work and private lives around for the better. Where did you get the idea for this?
2. Has your government benefited by getting better-skilled Seychellois to fill responsible positions, in some places replacing expatriates?
Yes, indeed! There are several graduates of this programme occupying top managerial positions today. And this testifies to the success of this venture. Our aim is to create a highly-qualified pool of young Seychellois professionals ready to assume positions of responsibility and trust in all sectors of society. We need expatriates in areas where we continue to lack expertise or manpower. But, in due course, our young, highly-trained Seychellois professionals will be in a position to gradually replace them.
3. The pool of qualified Seychellois is growing with every graduation. For how long do you believe the programme will need to go on without saturating the country with people with superior leadership skills?
For as long as it takes! Our country needs people with superior leadership skills, and it can never be saturated with them. Seychelles needs its youth, its young leaders, its highly-trained professionals. Our country’s development depends on them. Look at Singapore! It’s a good example to follow. In due course, some years hence, tiny Seychelles too could export “brain-power”. I see this as an advantage for Seychelles.
4. When you launched Strategy 2017, you said better-skilled Seychellois were a key input to help achieve the strategy’s goals. Has the SYLP helped in this regard?
What I said then is still very much valid today and for the foreseeable future. A country’s development depends on its people, and it must equip its people to take on the challenges of human-centred development. The key to this is education, the acquisition of knowledge and skills, and the constant nurturing of certain core values – like our national unity. Strategy 2017, like Strategy 2020 which has replaced it, is about us as a nation, about our progress, about our development in all its aspects. And the SYLP is a key component in this strategy.
5. How do you see the programme fitting in with Strategy 2020?
The two are very much linked; in fact, they are indivisible! As a country, we have very few natural resources. Our maritime resources – our blue gold – are not infinite, and we have to manage them with the greatest prudence. Similarly, we face increasing competition as a tourism destination. Oil exploration and extraction carries much promise – but that’s all in the future. In the meantime, our greatest asset is our people. We must equip them with the proper tools to lead the country, to innovate and to create. The basis of Strategy 2020 is a knowledge-based society. And that is what we are intent on creating. To do that, we need to develop “brain-power”! Both the programme and the strategy are geared to that end.
6. Many people think that after following the programme the Young Leaders will necessarily occupy higher public office. Is this so?
Indeed, this is precisely the aim. But we must also manage expectations. The SYLP provides our Young Leaders with the tools, the skills and knowledge to assume positions of responsibility in our country. But we must not forget that we also have “older” leaders out there with many years of experience and many years of loyal service, with the necessary skills and knowledge occupying top managerial posts. We cannot ask them simply to make way for the Young Leaders overnight! The Young Leaders have to prove themselves, they have to gain the trust and respect of society. But, through their hard work and with the right attitude, they will, I am sure, make it to the top echelons in society, rapidly.
7. How do you feel on learning that many graduates, and some who are still following the programme, find it very useful and serving as the “practical flesh” to support the “skeleton” of their previous theoretical qualifications?
I am not at all surprised, for this is precisely what the programme sets out to do. The prospective Young Leader comes to the programme with a solid educational background, a certain amount of experience and a set of skills. Are these sufficient to prepare him for future career prospects, for future top managerial positions? I would venture to reply that they are not enough! They need something extra. The “theoretical qualifications” – as you put it – are a good base to start off from – but they are not enough. That is why we need to put “flesh" on them. We do so through the SYLP and, in so doing, equip our future Young Leaders with the knowledge, the skills, the values and the experience that will allow them to develop themselves and strive to put our country ahead.
8. Do you get any feedback from chief executives whose staff have followed the programme and, if so, what have they told you?
I remain in touch with the participants of the programme. And I do follow their career progression. I also get feedback from the chief executives of their respective organisations about their performance. I have not received any negative comments about the Young Leaders. The general perception is that they are forward-looking, diligent and keen to impart their knowledge, skills and experience to their colleagues in the workplace.
9. Is it true that only Parti Lepep supporters can join the programme?
Absolutely not! There is no basis to that whatsoever. Admission to the programme is governed by a strict set of criteria – educational qualifications, work experience, aptitude, attitude – and political affiliation has absolutely nothing to do with it. The programme was envisaged and designed such that EVERY young Seychellois who fulfils the criteria can join it. It is also to be noted that we have established strategic links with a number of foreign partners. I can assure you that they will brook no political interference in their collaboration with us!
10. Mr President, many people who have passed the 38-year-old mark feel they can contribute positively if allowed to follow the programme. Why are they not being given the chance?
The issue has arisen many times, and I do understand their concern. But there has to be a “cut-off” point somewhere. Several organisations and institutions – the army and the police, for instance – impose age limits in their recruitment procedures. What is of paramount importance to me, though, is that we do not leave behind any Seychellois who wants to further his/her education. We already have a number of institutions in Seychelles offering courses leading to advanced diplomas to more “mature” students. As the University of Seychelles develops and progresses, more such courses will be offered.
Source: Seychelles Nation - 26.03.2011
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