A partial view of the new housing estate at Les Mamelles

Minister Dugasse (right) and Mr Zhao shake hands after unveiling the plaque to mark the official opening of the estate. Looking on is Ambassador Chen

The new Upper Les Mamelles housing estate was officially opened on Monday December 15,  in the presence of the Chinese backers who had financed the construction.

In the absence of the Minister for Land Use and Habitat, Mr Joseph Belmont, it was the Minister for Industries and International Business, Mr Jacquelin Dugasse, who led the opening ceremony.

He was joined by members of the National Assembly; the Chinese Ambassador, Her Excellency Mrs Chen Meifen; the Vice-President of the Export Import (EXIM) Bank of China, Mr Zhao Wenzhang; and some of the residents of Les Mamelles.

Speaking at the new housing estate, Minister Dugasse described the opening of the 141 unit site as an "important milestone in government housing policy."

Minister Dugasse thanked the Chinese Ambassador, the EXIM Bank and the Chinese Government, which he called one of Seychelles' most faithful bilateral partners.

The Les Mamelles development had originally been intended to consist of 228 accommodation units, but  due to "geotechnical" reasons, had been limited to 141, with a further 44 which Minister Dugasse said were nearing completion at Brilliant.

The construction of the new estate was carried out by the China Shengyang company, a parastatal organisation which undertakes much Chinese Government funded overseas work.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Land Use and Habitat, Mr Joel Morgan, explained that bilateral soft loans, such as the one used to finance the Les Mamelles development, were regularly supplied on the condition that a company from the donor country be contracted to carry out the work.

Mr Morgan also confirmed the terms of the loan repayment, which gives Seychelles 15 years to refund the costs (see accompanying article).

On an official visit to Seychelles, Mr Zhao called the Les Mamelles project "an achievement in the interests of the people of Seychelles and a symbol of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Seychelles."

He said he hoped that the completion of the development would play an active role in further consolidating and promoting Sino-Seychellois relations.

Les Mamelles District Administrator, Mr Daniel Adeline, said that thanks to the redevelopment the area's "social environment" had been considerably improved and called upon residents to take full advantage of the neighbourhood facilities on offer.

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