Putting people first through science and innovation — President Herminie |11 August 2026

Putting people first through science and innovation — President Herminie

For a nation the size of Seychelles, competing through innovation has never been a luxury – it has been a necessity. That conviction lies at the heart of a wide-ranging conversation with Xavier Estico, secretary of state for the National Institute for Science, Technology and Innovation (NISTI), based within the Office of the Vice-President. He reflected on the institution’s history, its five-year disruption, and its renewed mandate under the government of President Patrick Herminie.

Building Seychelles’ science and innovation framework

Seychelles came comparatively late to formal science and technology governance. Before 2010, the country had neither a dedicated system for science, technology, and innovation (STI) nor an institutional and legal framework to support one. A Unesco audit that year confirmed what many already suspected: Seychelles needed such an institution.

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