The first-ever large-scale clean-up of the outer islands managed by the IDC will take place from March 18th to 31st. As part of the exercise, forty volunteers will clean eight islands, namely Astove, Alphonse, Farquhar, Desroches, Poivre, Remire, Coetivy, and Platte.  IDC met with the volunteers before they left, to brief them on the different aspects of the clean-up activity.  
All logistics for the clean-up have been taken care of by IDC. “We are sure that volunteers are going to have fun, enjoy this unique opportunity to visit the islands, and do something good for the environment,” said the CEO, Mr. Glenny Savy.
Mr. Savy informed the volunteers that IDC undertakes monthly clean-ups on most of the outer islands but saw it necessary to team up with local partners to collect marine debris on a large scale similarly to the Aldabra cleanup project.
The aim of the clean-up on the IDC-managed outer islands is to remove and dispose of marine litter that has accumulated along the coastlines of those islands. 
IDC is collaborating with The Ocean Project Seychelles, a local non-profit organisation created to raise awareness on the dangers of plastic waste. The Ocean Project Seychelles will lead the marine litter assessments on the islands to establish where the plastic pollution hotspots are, how much is arriving annually and how this varies between the inner islands and outer islands.
Once collected, sorted, and weighed, all waste collected will be taken to the base camp of each outer island and shipped back to Mahe. 

As of February 1st, the prison facility on Coetivy will cease to exist.
This was officially announced during a meeting at State House, whereby President Danny Faure met the management of the Seychelles Prison Services and the Chief Executive Officer of IDC. Delegates from the Ministry of Finance and the department of Home Affairs were also in attendance. 
IDC and the Prison Services are working on an agreement that will give opportunities to inmates to work on the outer islands. There are currently some 40 inmates on Coetivy. 
IDC's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Glenny Savy explains that after the government decided to close the prison on Coetivy, it asked IDC to return to the island to start the development plan which was submitted to government late last year. 
"In the development plan, one of the strategies was to close down the prison and then to - as much as possible - absorb the eligible inmates on a release on license programme and put them back to work until the end of their sentences. The inmates will be chosen by the Prison Services and will be interviewed by the IDC team before being sent to the various islands managed by IDC for various projects. We will try our best to keep these people in the field they are familiar with, such as administration, masonry, fishing, agriculture, mechanics, etc. We hope that at the end of their sentences, for those who wish to continue to work on the islands, they can continue."
Part of this license stresses that the inmates should have good conduct and be cooperative and in case an inmate behaves badly while on duty on an island they will be sent back to the Montagne Posee prison.
As part of the programme, some 100 inmates will have the possibility to work on the outer islands.

The remote island of Alphonse is now completely powered by the largest photovoltaic farm in Seychelles, meaning diesel fuel is no longer needed to make electricity, said a top official of the Islands Development Company. 
​A total of 2,220 dual glass high-efficiency solar panels have been installed on 0.7 hectares of land -- half towards the east and the other half towards the west -- to produce electricity for the whole island. 
The project is an initiative of the Islands Development Company (IDC) as a source of alternative energy to cut costs and reduce the amount of heavy diesel fuel used to power two electricity generators on the island. The project will also help to protect the environment from pollution.
The IDC’s chief executive officer, Glenny Savy, said that the project is a real cost efficient project which will save the island a lot of money.
“For the past months only five barrels of fuel has been used to power the standby generators as compared to five and seven barrels of fuels used every day previously," said Savy. 
Located 400 kilometres southwest of Mahe, the main island, the Alphonse atoll is part of the Alphonse group which also includes St. Francois and Bijoutier. The atoll has a single resort comprising of beach bungalows and suites.
The green energy project is a combination of the solar panels and lithium batteries for storage that has resulted in covering 90 percent of the island’s energy use. The solar panels produce around 800 kilowatts of electricity per day, more than half above the normal total electricity used every day on the island.
Savy said that this initiative will not only save money going towards fuel consumption but also that which is going towards the transportation of fuel to the island.
“IDC is making a profit on the electricity that it is producing by selling it. The money will go towards infrastructure development on the island,” said Savy.
Financed by a South African company, Mettle Solar Investments, the PV farm cost $1.5 million. IDC has injected a total sum of $37,000 (SCR500,000). 
The Minister for Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Wallace Cosgrow, said that the project is one that other islands can follow as well as Mahe, which can one day be fully powered by renewable energy.
Aside from Alphonse, a similar PV farm will be set on Astove and Farqhuar islands by March 2019 and the bigger one on Desroches island by July next year. By early 2020 all islands under the management of IDC will be 90 percent powered by green energy.   
Seychelles -- a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean -- relies heavily on imported fossil fuel for power generation and transportation. Currently, only 2.5 percent of the island nation's electrical energy is from renewable sources.
The 2.5 percent is expected to increase to 5 percent in the coming three years with several renewable energy projects.
Seychelles is also planning to install Africa’s first utility-scale Floating Solar Photovoltaic system on the lagoon at Le Rocher, in the district of Les Mamelles. 
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                                                                                             with thanks to

As part of activities to commemorate World Environment Day (June 5th), IDC presented a copy of the second edition of the book ‘Outer Islands of Seychelles-Zil Elwannyen Sesel’ to President Danny Faure. This was during a ceremony at State House, to officially launch the Aldabra clean-up project. 
“Mr. President, let me take this opportunity to thank you for the interest that you are showing in the development of the islands. The visits that you have started have allowed us to show you firsthand what we do on the islands, how we do it and more importantly, why we do it the way we do. Your comments, ideas and suggestions throughout the visits are valuable to us and will help us build on what we are doing” said Mr. Savy in his address. 
The Aldabra clean-up project brings together a team of 6 Seychellois volunteers with 6 Oxford University scholars who will conduct an intensive clean-up expedition starting from March 2019. 
During the ceremony, it was announced that alongside the Aldabra clean-up project, IDC will also undertake an extensive clean-up exercise on Assomption and Astove. The two islands form part of the Aldabra group. 
​The launching of the project at State House was held in the presence of President Danny Faure, the Patron of the Seychelles Islands Foundation and other stakeholders.

The Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island will today open its doors to the first guests to the island since the previous resort closed over two years ago. 
Featuring a total of 71 accommodations, the brand new Four Seasons resort offers a choice of beach bungalows, villas and suites and multi-bedroom residences, all with private pool and direct beach access.
For dining, panoramic sunset views are offered at the new Lighthouse restaurant, while Mediterranean fare is served at the all-day dining Claudine restaurant and a poolside bar and Deli provide further options for culinary refreshment.
The organic Circle of Connection Spa with five treatment suites and a beauty salon is the place for island goers to unwind, as the perfect complement to the many resort activities available.
Opportunities for island adventures include world-class diving and fishing, cycling along 15 kilometres of forested pathways, guided nature walks with the Island Conservation Society and learning more about the unique Seychelles flora, fauna and sea life at the new, interactive Discovery Centre.
​General manager Edward Linsley commented: “I’m so immensely proud of our entire team and what we have achieved. Desroches is an incredibly special island and I cannot wait to welcome our first guests to discover this destination and to experience first-hand the passion, dedication and warmth of our team who have worked so hard together to make this dream a reality.”
Through recruitment drives and advertising, both locally and internationally, the resort has employed over 200 staff from 39 nationalities, including a significant proportion of Seychellois at all levels. Three local team members from the existing Four Seasons Resort on Mahé have furthered their career in the Housekeeping and Front Office departments by transferring to Desroches, while Seychellois chef, Joel Laporte, who previously transferred to Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi has returned to his home country to join the pre-opening team as a Demi Chef de Partie.
Marc Bonnelame, human resources manager commented: “We have put together a great team full of talented individuals and it is exciting for all of us to be part of such a historic opening. For me as Seychellois, I am proud to be working with such a renowned international brand and to be able to extend the same opportunity to other Seychellois.”
Further information on Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island, plus detailed rates and availability can be found by contacting the reservations team at [email protected], calling +248 4393000 or by visiting the website www.fourseasons.com/seychellesdesroches.

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IDC has welcomed a second Beechcraft plane to its fleet.
“There was a need for this additional plane because we now have more tourist flights to the islands, especially with the reopening of Desroches hotel, which now have two flights a day rather than one a day previously. We are also now, twice a week operating flights for the Guest House on Astove, once a week for the Guest House on Farquhar, plus 2 to 3 times a week for Alphonse Hotel and of course all the other flights that are required by the IDC Management, and private charters. We now basically have additional capacity.” explains Glenny Savy, IDC Chief Executive Officer.
If all goes well, IDC might even consider purchasing a third Beechcraft later this year and selling its two smaller aeroplanes, being the Caravan and the Dornier.
“Having a fleet of Beechcrafts only will rationalize our operational cost as there will be only one type of operation rather than three different types of aircrafts” adds Mr. Savy.
The Beechcraft has been purchased in South Africa at a cost of $2.151million. It has been inspected by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority and is already registered on the SCAA registry.
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As a continuation of his tour to outer Islands, President Danny Faure visited Desroches Island from 2nd to 4th February 2018.
During his visit, the President  viewed the new Four Seasons Resort due to open March 2018. The new luxury resort, will feature some 71 lodgings including beach bungalows, villas, suites and private residence villas.
The familiarisation tour, also provided the President with the opportunity to see first hand the IDC operations on the island as well the environment protection efforts by Island Conservation Seychelles (ICS) located on Desroches featuring ongoing programmes such as vegetation rehabilitation, turtle, bird and coral reef monitoring, tortoise conservation and beach profile surveys.
President Faure was accompanied on his visit by the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Maurice Loustau-Lalanne and the Chief Executive Officer of IDC, Mr. Glenny Savy.
​In December, President Faure visited Astove, Assumption and Aldabra.
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President Danny Faure has appointed Mrs. Veronique Herminie as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Islands Development Company, with effect from 1st December 2017.
Mrs. Herminie’s appointment was announced in a communique from State House.
Alongside her new functions, Mrs. Herminie also retains her post as General Manager of Green Island Construction Company (GICC) a subsidiary of IDC.
She replaces Mr. Ronny Renaud who was appointed to the post of Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles Fishing Authority in April.
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Islands Development Company (IDC), through its subsidiary, Green Island Construction Company (GICC) has officially handed over three classrooms and a resource center to English River school.
This project came about at the request of government to help increase classroom capacity at the school to cope with the growing number of pupils. And when it was approached, GICC was more than ready to help out.
The handover ceremony took place at the school, in the presence of the principal secretary for education, the school’s head teacher, school council chairperson, parents and some students.
The keys to the new facilities were handed over to the school, through the Principal Secretary of Education, Dr. Odile de Commarmond, by the IDC’s Public Relations Manager, Michael Payet.
The project has been co-financed by GICC and the Ministry of Education at a total cost of R1.15 million.
As part of the agreement, the ministry paid for the aircon and the sliding windows, while other costs were absorbed by GICC.
Construction work on the project started in July and completed in September, just in time for the beginning of the new school term.
GICC is a subsidiary of IDC which holds a Class 1 Construction and Civil Works Contractors license.