OGP Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting |29 March 2025
Seychelles reaffirms high-level political commitment to Open Government
Seychelles reaffirmed its strong commitment to open governance during the 2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, held from March 25 to 27, 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The country was represented by a high-level delegation led by Margaret Moumou, cabinet secretary and OGP Point of Contact for Seychelles.
This year’s regional meeting was held under the theme ‘Rebuilding Trust through Open Government’ – a theme that resonated deeply with Seychelles’ approach to embedding transparency, accountability and citizen engagement at the highest levels of governance.
In her intervention during the ministerial segment, Ms Moumou shared Seychelles’ experience in securing strong political commitment to the OGP process.
She emphasised that the Seychelles OGP secretariat is strategically housed within the Cabinet Office, with the Vice-President serving as the ministerial lead. This institutional arrangement ensures consistent political support, strategic oversight and visibility for OGP-related reforms.
“Our model places open government at the heart of executive decision-making,” Ms Moumou explained. “Having the Vice-President as ministerial lead sends a strong signal of our country’s dedication to transparency, accountability, citizen engagement and innovation.”
She further highlighted how this high-level integration has enabled Seychelles to undertake tangible governance reforms and foster greater trust between citizens and public institutions. The Cabinet Office’s coordination role allows for a unified, whole-of-government approach to implementing Seychelles’ national action plans.
Among the country’s key achievements, Ms Moumou cited Seychelles becoming the first Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)-compliant country – a result of including FiTI implementation as a key commitment in both national OGP action plans. Additionally, Seychelles has launched the National Integrity Coalition, a homegrown initiative to align national legislation with the values enshrined in the Constitution, further strengthening democratic governance and the rule of law.
The Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting provided a vital platform for peer learning, regional collaboration and dialogue among governments, civil society and development partners. Seychelles’ model was commended as an example of how sustained political commitment and institutional integration can lead to impactful governance reforms and a stronger social contract.
Contributed