NEW ways of managing Seychelles' water resources are to be looked into, along with drawing up a real strategy on how to deal with improving our water system.
A study into these and other water-related issues will be set up following the signing of a grant agreement between the government and the African Development Bank (ADB).
The agreement worth €955,000 (R11 million) was the highlight of a visit by a Seychelles delegation, led by Foreign Affairs minister Patrick Pillay, to the ADB's annual meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, from May 14-15.
The African Water Facility of the ADB will fund the study, which will draw up a water development plan for Seychelles, including better ways of distributing water and the possibility of reducing demand.
The theme of this year's ADB annual meeting was Fostering Shared Growth: Urbanisation, Inequality and Poverty.
The Seychellois delegation was also able to meet the Vice-President for Finance, Thierry de Longuemar, to discuss current and future areas of co-operation between Seychelles and the Bank.
Discussions at the meeting centred mainly on the current food crisis, especially how the Bank can help member countries tackle the problem.
The ADB Group has added US $1 billion to its agriculture portfolio, raising it to US $4.8 billion, as part of short term action to address the issue. Seychelles is liaising with the Bank on how it can tap into this fund.
The Seychelles' delegation also met various development partners such as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Opec Fund for International Development and the Kuwait Fund.