The Seychelles National Assembly on Wednesday voted for several amendments to the Postal Sector Act aimed at reinforcing it and giving it the necessary framework.

The proposed amendment Bill was presented to the National Assembly by Naadir Hassan, the Minister of Finance, National Planning and Trade.

In his presentation, Hassan said that the Postal Sector Act came into force in November 2010 and that it is important to recognise that the sector has become very important for the development and growth of the Seychelles economy.

"In the globalisation context and the growth of the digital economy, this sector has a great role to play. This means that it is important [...] for us to fix the legal structures in place to accomplish this objective," said Hassan.

Through the amendments approved by 28 members of the National Assembly, the Postal Regulator will be responsible to issue licences.

The amendments will also introduce several elements among which is to establish conditions for the duration and the renewal and removal of licence.

The Postal Regulator will also be responsible for the licensees and its functions and powers will be reinforced.

Other amendments include putting in place a clear administrative framework for the appointment of the chief executive officer, staff and the account of the Postal Regulator; establishing a mechanism to address appeal cases and reinforcing the offence and actions section.

Hassan said that "It is good to note that while working on modernising the law, we have made sure that we took into account the best practice and international standards."

He said that this amendment was discussed with operators and it includes their contribution.

"With these amendments, it is clear that we will have a stronger Postal Regulator and it will be better able to discharge its responsibility as per its mandate," said the Minister.

He said that as the government reinforces capacity and the necessary appointments necessary for the Regulator to function, an educational programme will be done so that everyone will know more about the changes and what they will bring to the country.

Source: Seychelles News Agency