Office of the First Lady, Republic of Seychelles

The invitation to speak at the 11th Africa Tax Symposium provided networking opportunities and the First Lady was quite happy to engage with some new found "friends of Seychelles."

Very often one person crosses your path who has aspirations that matches your own with potential for synergies. Such was the connection when our First Lady met with the bubbly young author and public speaker originally from Nigeria, Dr Abi Daré in Rabat, Morocco. Dr Abi is the author of the New York Times bestselling book "the girl with the louding voice," telling the story of 14 year old Adunni forced into child marriage but who was determined to change the course of her life, speaking up for herself and others suffering from similar fate. The story touched the heart of our First Lady as it was so much aligned with the purpose of her "Welcome to puberty project" to be officially launched this children's festival month of June. Dr Daré presented a signed personal copy of both her published books to our First Lady who is an avid reader and creative writer - "the girl with the louding voice" and "and so I roar" respectively.

When women empowerment knows no boundaries, and we have our own trailblazer. The First Lady, Veronique Herminie is the guest of honour and speaker, at the 11th Africa Tax Symposium being held in Morocco from 3rd to 5th June 2026 bringing her tax expertise to the conversation as the former Commissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission.

The "Chinese Bridge" is a prestigious international Chinese proficiency competition for non-native speakers, organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) under China's Ministry of Education. Launched in 2002, it has become one of the most influential platforms for promoting the Chinese language and fostering cultural exchange worldwide.

In Seychelles, the Chinese Bridge competition, hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Seychelles and organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Seychelles, began in 2019 and has been held annually for eight consecutive years. The Office of the First Lady was honored to participate in this annual event and it was represented by the Principal Programme Officer, Ms Marie-Neige Philoe.

The Chinese Bridge competition provides a stage for Chinese language learners and Chinese culture enthusiasts in Seychelles to showcase their Chinese learning achievements and understanding of Chinese culture.

Gearing up for a few community driven initiatives during the week leading up to Independence Day

Every child in the heart of our First Lady is special! Let us give them the opportunity to shine and to thrive. Happy Children's Day to all our children.

The official engagements for the First Lady over this past week included welcoming courtesy calls from:

- the newly appointed Ambassador for Seychelles to China, Mrs Jacqueline Moustache-Belle with discussions focusing on the potential support for projects and initiatives around empowerment, activities encouraging the well being of the children of Seychelles, cultural exchanges between the two countries, and the SDGs promoted by the Office of the First Lady.

- Dr Sidney To the Honorary Consul for Seychelles in Hong Kong, Consulate General of Seychelles in Shanghai, and founding member of the Seychelles-China Friendship and Business Association, pledged support for innovative projects for the youth of Seychelles.

- Mme Mireille Siali, Coordinatrice du Forum Internationale de Victoria et Mme Marie Nella Azemia, la representant de AWLN et CEPs. Mme Siali a présenté l'ordre du jour du forum international de Victoria prévu pour octobre 2026 et a salué la possibilité d'une participation de la Première dame à l'événement.

Cette semaine, les activités de la Première Dame ont été consacrées à la jeunesse et à son inspiration. Cela a notamment inclus le lancement du programme « jeune ambassadeur francophone » par La Ligue de l'Enseignement des Seychelles LEVANTAY. La Première Dame, Véronique Herminie, a également accepté avec grâce et honneur, lors de cette cérémonie, de devenir la patrone de ce projet inspirant et a accepté d'aider à guider les jeunes ambassadeurs francophones.