The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Mr Alan Ganoo, held a press conference, on Tuesday, at the Head Office of Metro Express Limited (MEL), in presence of the Minister for Transport of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Antony Derjacques, to highlight the outcome of the latter’s official visit to Mauritius from 16 to 20 March 2024.
Minister Ganoo recalled that this Ministerial visit follows the recent visit of the Seychelles President, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan, to Mauritius on 01 February 2024. He, moreover, gave an overview of the several site visits and events to which Minister Derjacques participated, namely a meeting between the Minister and representatives of the Land Transport Ministry, Officers of the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit (TMRSU), the National Land Transport Authority (NLTA) and, the MEL; site visits to different regions of the island to take stock of developments in terms of road and infrastructure; visit to the SAJ Bridge; various flyovers, bypasses and, raised platforms, amongst others.
Minister Derjacques also visited the Vehicle Examination Station of Plaine Lauzun to observe how fitness tests are performed in Mauritius. The visit was followed by a meeting with the Police Traffic Branch to take stock of procedures for the issuance of driving licenses.
Other visits of the Seychelles Minister included: a tour of the Photographic Enforcement Device Unit; a presentation of the Road Crash Data Management System and the Eye Map and Traffic Modelling by the TMRSU; meeting with Officers of the Road Development Authority to learn about major infrastructural development in Mauritius and, a meeting with the Mauritius Police Force with regards to the Safe City System.
Minister Ganoo further outlined that Minister Derjacques was received by the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, and Officers of the Land Drainage Authority. He also took a ride on the Metro from Ebène to Réduit and visited the Mahatma Gandhi Station in Réduit.
To that end, Mr Ganoo underlined the success of this visit which is culminating with the two countries intention to proceed with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding as regards the transport sector.
For his part, Minister Derjacques expressed gratitude for the presentations and exposure he received from the authorities concerned, highlighting that this initiative follows the visit of
President Ramkalawan who showed interest in collaborating with Mauritius on exploring collaboration on road transport matters and infrastructures.
This collaboration, he underscored, will prove to be crucial in the development of the transport sector of Seychelles, which requires continued and modern initiatives to be taken.
Expressing his appreciation for the Metro Express project in Mauritius, Minister Derjacques announced the possibility of implementing the Light Rail project in Seychelles. He added that the collaboration of team MEL is highly appreciated as their expertise and know-how will help in conducting a feasibility study suitable for Seychelles, given its restrictive topology.
Moreover, he elaborated on ongoing developments in Seychelles, namely: the construction of the new Port Victoria and, a forthcoming Master Plan for the construction of new parking space and terminals for the new airport.
The Seychelles Minister commended Mauritius for the existing infrastructures and models used regarding safety measures, emphasising that these meetings with sector experts will
assist Seychelles in implementing same. “I was impressed by your digital Traffic Management System that links all stakeholders, and I hope that this will help us improve our road safety through digitalisation,” he stated.
