In 2015, Seychelles, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), formulated the Seychelles Infrastructure Action Plan (SIAP). The aim of the policy plan is to enable the government of Seychelles to address the country’s infrastructure needs in a systematic manner through the identification of gaps and recommendation of priority projects. In particular, the policy focuses exclusively on the electricity and transportation sectors.
- Energy
Objectives: To reduce Seychelle’s dependence on imported fuel and increase the proportion of renewable energy. Also, the SIAP aims to support increased electricity supply and efficiency. For this objective, the policy provides a priority ranking for 24 electricity projects. Accordingly, the following projects were assigned the greatest priority:
- Establishment of a new power plant in Praslin
- Replacement of worn-out equipment in Praslin, Mahé, and Roche Caiman power stations
- Addition of a third cable link to the submarine cable network in La Digue
- Development of the Mahé distribution network
Outcome: Fuel importation by Seychelles reduced from 17.76% of total imports in 2015 to 12.61% in 2022 (World Bank). Also, the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources increased from 15.5 GWh in 2015 to 17.6 GWh in 2021 (Africa Energy Portal). Furthermore, the total installed capacity for electricity generation increased from 94.5 MWin 2015 to about 126 MW in 2022 (Africa Energy Portal).
Notable Mention: By 2024, Seychelles had successfully installed a third undersea cable to boost reliability of electricity on La Digue (PUC, 2024). Also, the addition of new generators to the Roche Caiman power station in 2024 increased the station’s total installed capacity by 21% (PUC, 2024).
- Transportation
Objective: To close the gaps in the transport sub-sectors (land, aviation, and marine transportation) to ensure that future mobility needs can be met. To achieve this objective, the SIAP provides a priority ranking for fourteen (14) transport projects with the following projects at the top of the priority list:
- Victoria Port expansion including quay extension and dredging
- Replacement of buses in the bus fleet that are more than 8 years old
- Planning, design, and construction of bicycle facilities and pedestrian walkways in Victoria
Outcome: By 2018, Seychelles had secured €56 million from the European Investment Bank for its Victoria Port rehabilitation and expansion project (European Investment Bank). Following this, stakeholder consultations were held and the project commenced in 2022 and is still underway (Ministry of Transport, 2024). Also, by January 2023, 38% of the national public transport fleet in Seychelles were new buses (Ministry of Transport, 2023).
Notable Mention: As part of Seychelles goals to improve transportation while reducing CO2 emissions, 22 electric buses were added to the public transport fleet in 2022 under the Seychelles Electric Mobility project (Ministry of Transport, 2022).