PM Modi to visit Seychelles as National Day guest of honor

Victoria-Mahé[Seychelles]: Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Secretary General Iouana Pillay said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 27-29 visit to Seychelles for the country’s 50th independence celebrations will further strengthen trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two countries. She said the visit reflects the deep historical, cultural and commercial ties shared by India and Seychelles.

Talk to YEARSIouana Pillay stressed that Prime Minister Modi’s visit was “extremely important” for Seychelles, emphasizing that India has long been a key trading partner and close friend of the island nation. She said: “I think the Prime Minister’s visit to Seychelles, especially to celebrate our 50th independence, is extremely important for Seychelles. Seychelles has been trading with India for many years and we are also partners with India, and we are also a family.”

Highlighting the close ties between people, Pillay said many Seychellois have Indian roots, including herself. She said: “There are a lot of Indian natives; myself, my family 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 skill development and other sectors in which India has significant expertise.

Pillay noted that Seychelles has already signed several memoranda of understanding (MoU) with India during a recent visit, covering agriculture, health, trade with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and digitalization. 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: “This visit shows our strength between the two countries and also shows how much we have grown together, Seychelles and India, and how much we can continue to grow.” Expressing optimism about future economic relations, Pillay said the visit could significantly boost trade and investment. She said: “Seychelles is a very small island and we rely a lot on imports. So I see there is a big opportunity for us to strengthen trade between the two countries, identify gaps and find ways to mitigate them together.”

She identified aquaculture, renewable energy, digitalization, tourism, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and training as sectors offering major opportunities for Indian businesses. She said: “There are a lot of opportunities. It’s just about connecting with the right Indian businesses and connecting them with our local businesses here in Seychelles.” Pillay also said that the Seychelles business community is keen to expand its partnerships with Indian companies, particularly in the retail, wholesale and construction sectors.

She recognized the contribution of Indian expatriate workers to the economic development of the country through the construction of buildings, offices and hotels. Regarding strengthening economic cooperation, she stressed the need to align investments with Seychelles’ development priorities while working closely with governments and the Chamber of Commerce. “It’s about understanding the priority of Seychelles, what we need and working with the government, as well as the strong partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, so that we can strategically define the priorities of Seychelles and how we can collaborate more with India,” she added.

“As mentioned, digitalization is one of the most important in the pharmaceutical sector as well as in other agricultural formations. And 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 a step forward and I congratulate both governments for taking this initiative,” she said, adding that the inclusion of the private sector in the official delegation marked “a big step” for business collaboration.

Looking ahead, Pillay expressed confidence that bilateral trade relations would continue to grow. “I can see that the ties are growing very strongly because Seychelles is a very strong economy and we are a growing economy and there are certainly many opportunities despite other obstacles in the world. Seychelles still remains very safe to do business,” she reiterated.

(With inputs from ANI)