VICTORIA, Seychelles — Vice-President Sebastien Pillay advanced Seychelles’ maritime security agenda at the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa on Saturday, representing President Patrick Herminie and securing new strategic opportunities through Italy’s expanded Mattei Plan. The plan now covers 14 priority nations and introduces system-wide missions that position Seychelles as a prime candidate for technical cooperation deploying advanced satellite and sensor technology to combat piracy, narcotics trafficking, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
The engagements carry direct significance for ordinary Seychellois, as stronger maritime security directly protects the Blue Economy on which thousands of jobs and a substantial share of government revenue depend. Italy’s confirmation of Seychelles as a partner under the Mattei Plan’s Infrastructure and Energy nexus also opens doors to green port modernisation, subsea cable protection, and access to the Italian Climate Fund for marine conservation and renewable energy projects.
Vice-President Pillay met with the secretaries-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Union Development Agency, according to a State House press release. He advocated for enhanced trade cooperation between mainland Africa and island nations, noting the logistical barriers geographically isolated states face, and received a commitment from AUDA-NEPAD to assist Seychelles with fisheries negotiations with third countries. He also addressed the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, speaking as Chair of the African Island States Climate Commission and urging members to move beyond statements of intent toward results-oriented climate action.
Seychelles has historically championed small island developing state interests within multilateral forums, leveraging its unique position as host of the Regional Coordination Operations Centre to shape Indian Ocean security policy. The country’s pioneering debt-for-nature swap has already been cited internationally as a model for climate finance, and the vice-president highlighted it as an example for other African nations to replicate. The AfCFTA Certificate of Origin for Seychelles was noted as ready for imminent release, a development that could ease trade flows for local exporters.
Seychelles will now engage with Italian financial instruments including Cassa Depositi e Prestiti for concessional loans and the SACE Push Strategy for infrastructure guarantees. Both the AfCFTA secretariat and AUDA-NEPAD confirmed upcoming working visits to Seychelles to align continental initiatives with national priorities. The government will also advocate for a small island developing states-specific Blue Pillar within the Mattei Plan ahead of the mid-year G7 review.
The diplomatic missions, chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto for the climate session, reaffirmed the African Island States Climate Commission’s role in shaping Africa’s common environmental position, giving Seychelles an influential platform disproportionate to its size.
