Victoria-Mahe[Seychelles]: Secretary General, Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Iouana Pillay, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit from June 27-29 to Seychelles for the country’s 50th Independence celebrations will further strengthen trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two countries. She said that the visit reflects the deep historical, cultural and business ties shared by India and Seychelles.
Speaking to ANI, Iouana Pillay emphasised Prime Minister Modi’s visit as “extremely important” for Seychelles, noting that India has long been a key trading partner and close friend of the island nation. She said, “I think the visit of the Prime Minister to Seychelles, especially celebrating our 50th independence, is extremely important for Seychelles. Seychelles has been trading with India for many years and we have been a partner with India as well, and we are also family”.
Highlighting the strong people-to-people ties, Pillay said many Seychellois have Indian roots, including herself. She said, “There are a lot of Indian natives; I myself, my family background is from India. So we are very proud and this occasion is very prestigious for us here in Seychelles”. She said the private sector is keen to deepen cooperation with India, not only in trade but also in skills development and other sectors where India has significant expertise.
Pillay noted that Seychelles has already signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with India during a recent visit, covering agriculture, health, trade with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and digitalisation. Asked about expectations from Prime Minister Modi’s visit, she said it would showcase the strength of bilateral ties and create opportunities for greater collaboration.
She said, “From this visit, it’s showing our strength between the two countries and also displaying how much we’ve grown together, Seychelles and India and how much more we can continue to grow”. Expressing optimism about future economic ties, Pillay said the visit could significantly boost trade and investment. She said, “Seychelles is a very small island and we depend a lot on imports. So I see that there’s a great possibility for us to strengthen the trade between the two countries, identify the gaps and find ways how we can mitigate together”.
She identified aquaculture, renewable energy, digitalisation, tourism, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and training as sectors offering major opportunities for Indian businesses. She said, “There are a lot of opportunities. It’s just a matter of connecting with the right businesses from India and connecting them with our local businesses here in Seychelles”. Pillay also said Seychelles’ business community is eager to expand partnerships with Indian companies, particularly in retail, wholesale and construction.
She acknowledged the contribution of Indian expatriate workers to the country’s economic development through the construction of buildings, offices and hotels. On strengthening economic cooperation, she stressed the need to align investments with Seychelles’ development priorities while working closely through both governments and the Chamber of Commerce. “It’s about understanding the priority of Seychelles, what it is that we need and working through the government, as well as the strong partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, for us to map out strategically the priorities of Seychelles and how we can collaborate with India more”, she added.
“As mentioned, digitalisation is one of the biggest in pharmaceuticals as well as in other training for agriculture. And it is, I think, our visit that we had this year already shows that we would like to strengthen our partnership and collaboration with India. So this is already one step ahead, and I congratulate both governments for taking this initiative”, she said, adding that the inclusion of the private sector in the official delegation marked “one big leap” for business collaboration.
Looking ahead, Pillay expressed confidence that bilateral business ties would continue to expand. “I can see the ties are growing very strongly because Seychelles is a very strong economy and we are a growing economy and definitely, there are lots of opportunities despite other hurdles around the world. Seychelles still remains very safe for doing business”, she further reiterated.
(With Inputs from ANI)
