New guide for investors a boost to ease of doing business in Seychelles |20 May 2023

Vice-President Afif

The cabinet of ministers chaired by President Wavel Ramkalawan on Wednesday approved the Seychelles Investor Map, a document that will guide local and foreign investors wishing to invest in the country of existing and emerging opportunity areas for investments.

The Seychelles Investor Map was developed by the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other local stakeholders. The map will be hosted on the UNDP website and will also be linked with other local websites.

Speaking to the press yesterday at State House to brief on a number of policy and legal memoranda approved by cabinet during its weekly meeting, Vice-President Ahmed Afif said, “the idea is to give investors an idea of the priority investments that the country needs so that they can quickly venture into those businesses at this point in time. The map will also help investors to get information on the sectors they will choose to venture in”.

Vice-President Afif stated that government has identified nine key sectors of importance for investment which include establishing roofing, off grid and floating photovoltaic system, eco-tourism development and value chain in relation to smart renewable energy, cultural tourism, cold storage and fish processing including other products such as agricultural products, for the export market.

He added that apart from the priority sectors identified, investors are free to invest in any other sectors. He noted that investors are also free to partner with each other in projects.

“Through those investments it will create jobs, modern technology and economic development for the country,” Vice-President Afif said.

Investors will have to consult the Seychelles Investment Bureau (SIB) website to gain access to the Seychelles Investor Map to get all information, assistance and what to do before making decisions.

Vice-President Afif said that map is among ways which the country is working towards with regard to ease of doing business here.

Cabinet also approved the Seychelles Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education 2022. With the mission to work together to support the holistic development and wellbeing of children between 0-8 years old, the framework sets out priorities for the Institute for Early Childhood Development (IECD), including the Ministry of Education, to care and to provide education and basic life skills to children for their own benefit and for the benefit of the country.

“The idea is to capture the children at a very young age, as from zero, good habits that will get them to be good students and good citizens,” said Vice-President Afif, who noted that research has shown that children who are given the care and basic life training across all aspects, including value skills, excelled in their education and in health and they become good citizens.

Vice-President Afif said that government, through the ministry and IECD, will continue to follow and work with international institutions such as Unesco, to adopt the best practices in early childhood care and education.

It is to be noted that IECD also operates as an international category 2 centre for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) under Unesco, enabling the institute to enhance its capacity to provide technical assistance and support to other countries regionally and globally.

Patrick Joubert