How AI Is Helping Government Companies in Seychelles Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency

AI matters for government companies in Seychelles because the small island state is deliberately building the digital plumbing and policy debate that make smarter public services possible: the Seychelles Innovation HUB (launched in 2018) and steady investment are seeding startups and pilots - from AI tools for sustainable tourism and marine conservation to a planned AI‑based customs and logistics overhaul at Port Victoria, which handles roughly 95% of the nation's imports - while the government works on a regulatory framework to balance innovation and rights.

Local seminars and a proposed “Pro‑Human Technology” bill show policymakers weighing employment, education and digital‑access protections as AI moves from concept to core service delivery.

That mix of urgent operational gains and careful governance explains why public agencies in Victoria are prioritizing AI readiness now (Seychelles AI ecosystem and Port Victoria digitization) and why national debates continue (National Assembly seminar on artificial intelligence in Seychelles).

“This bill is still far from getting to the National Assembly. There will be a lot of work and discussion to be had on whether or not to take such measures proposed by the bill.” - Roger Mancienne

Victoria has quietly become the archipelago's AI nerve center, with the Seychelles Innovation HUB (launched in 2018) seeding startups, international partnerships and pilots that stitch together sustainable tourism, marine conservation and public services into a single innovation circuit - read more on the growing ecosystem at Seychelles' thriving AI ecosystem.

Local pioneers and overseas firms are converging: border‑tech companies like Travizory bring AI risk engines and biometric flows that streamline traveler processing, while consultancies and investors help incubate use cases from e‑customs at Port Victoria to data‑driven fisheries management.

Connectivity improvements and interest from satellite providers are narrowing an old bandwidth bottleneck, but a persistent skills gap and the need for technology‑sovereignty approaches (local cloud, data stewardship and governance) mean capacity building and tailored infrastructure remain priorities; when those pieces click, a single well‑designed AI pilot can cut weeks of paperwork into hours and protect fragile marine habitats at the same time.

Seychelles is quietly punching above its weight on the digital front: while the UN's E‑Government Development Index (EGDI) shows a global rise - from 61.02% to 63.82% in the latest cycle as e‑government services expand worldwide - most small island developing states still lag behind, making Victoria's progress noteworthy; regional trackers list Seychelles among the few African countries scoring above the global EGDI average (Afripoli regional e‑government rankings).

That standing gives government companies a pragmatic opening to modernize core processes - moving transactions online, strengthening local hosting and connectivity, and pairing pilots with clear measurements so service improvements are tracked and funded.

For context on the wider trend and why regular EGDI monitoring matters for resilience and SDG delivery, see the Internet Society's roundup of what changed since 2022 (Internet Society EGDI developments since 2022).

The implication is simple and concrete: with the right digital plumbing, a single well‑designed e‑service can transform citizen interactions from paper queues into near‑real‑time outcomes.

Concrete AI applications are already moving from pilots to everyday public services in Seychelles: Port Victoria's digitisation effort combines the Port Victoria Management Information System with AI‑driven customs and logistics tools to streamline vessel calls and cargo flows at the terminal that handles roughly 95% of the nation's imports - an effort budgeted at about €400,000 and rolled out in phases to make PVMIS mandatory by January 2025 (Port Victoria digitalisation and PVMIS rollout); complementary work with international partners is embedding sustainable, “digital‑node” thinking into the port upgrade (Port Victoria sustainable‑port partnership with RISE).

Outside logistics, marine protection uses AI too: GRIDA's FishGuard initiative demonstrates smart detection tools that help deter illegal fishing around small island developing states, protecting livelihoods and reefs (GRIDA FishGuard anti‑illegal‑fishing initiative).

At the citizen end, simple AI virtual agents can cut queues and deliver policy‑accurate answers across web, SMS and voice channels, freeing staff to focus on complex cases - so the combined payoff is faster customs, cleaner seas, and smoother citizen interactions.

“This partnership highlights our commitment to pioneering sustainable development in port operations,” said Mr Sony Payet, Chief Executive Officer of SPA.

For Seychelles' government companies, AI isn't a buzzword - it's a practical lever for trimming budgets and speeding services: intelligent document processing and workflow automation can collapse manual backlogs, turning weeks of customs paperwork at Port Victoria into hours and freeing staff for oversight and marine protection work; platforms like Tungsten Automation public sector workflow automation solutions show how AI‑powered document and workflow automation reduces manual effort and drives faster citizen responses, while document‑AI tools described by ABBYY document automation use cases eliminate errors and cut compliance costs by extracting data from mixed document types; pairing RPA with agentic AI (the approach highlighted in UiPath coverage) lets deterministic bots handle secure, repeatable tasks while AI agents tackle unstructured decisions, reducing rework and contractor spend (Agentic automation in the public sector).

The result is measurable: fewer manual hours, sharper audit trails, and a customs cycle that no longer clogs the supply chain - imagine a clerk who once sifted paper manifests now closing clearances in minutes.

“While agentic AI is opening up new areas for automation, RPA remains critical for highly compliant, secure and resilient operations.” - Lim Khian Ghee

Seychelles' biggest barriers to scaling practical AI in government companies are familiar across Africa: a looming skills gap, limited local training pathways, and the time pressure on already stretched public servants to learn new tools - TalentLMS found 43% of HR managers expect a skills gap from AI and 85% plan L&D investments to close it (TalentLMS: skills for the AI era).

Continental studies underline the urgency: Africa supplies only a small share of global AI talent while demand is rising, so targeted, hands‑on training and mentorship are essential (Tech in Africa: solving the tech talent gap).

Practical enablers for Victoria's agencies are clear: a national AI L&D plan, short intensive bootcamps linked to local hiring, mentorship and certification pathways, and a skills‑driven hiring policy paired with an agency AI playbook - together these measures shrink the gap so a single trained operator can run pilots, audits and virtual agents instead of outsourcing the whole program.

“The data is clear: African companies expect the demand for AI skills to increase this year, with six in ten saying AI skills are ‘extremely important' to their success.” - Nazia Pillay

Turn ambition into a sequence of concrete steps: start with the OGP “Digital Transformation and Connecting People” commitment as the spine of any implementation roadmap - backed by the Digital Economy Steering Committee and partners like DICT, SQA and UniSey - and layer short, verifiable milestones (staffing catalogues, policy reviews, public education and bootcamps) that move agencies from outsourcing to local delivery (Seychelles OGP Digital Transformation and Connecting People commitment (SYC0007)).

Pair these human-capital steps with rapid, policy-focused AI pilots that demonstrate impact: the IPOSGPT pilot produced a ~50-page, expert‑validated report for the Department of the Blue Economy - showing how a single, well‑scoped AI deliverable can translate into actionable priorities and financing options for circular waste and marine protection (IPOSGPT Seychelles pilot report for the Department of the Blue Economy).

Use the Government AI Readiness Index as a benchmarking tool to pick feasible near-term targets, then lock in measurement: every pilot should include KPIs for time‑saved, cost avoided and staff re‑deployment so success becomes fundable and repeatable (Government AI Readiness Index 2024 benchmarking by Oxford Insights).

The result: phased capacity building, an enforceable tendering approach, and a civic tech platform that channels citizen feedback into prioritized, monitored AI deployments.

Short case studies from Port Victoria put numbers to the opportunity: roughly 800 vessels call the port each year, moving about 200,000 tonnes of general cargo, 35,000 tonnes of bulk cement, and some 17,000 tonnes of oil while transhipping around 70,000 tonnes of fish - so a single efficiency gain at the quay ripples across shops, hotels and the fishing fleet (Port Victoria traffic and cargo profile).

Plans to upgrade the port have been reshaped by costs - what began as a 600‑metre expansion was revised to a 310‑metre design and re‑scoped to respect budgets and sea‑level forecasts, even as €/USD financing (about $41M from development partners) has been secured and further funds are being sought (extension project revised and financing details).

Dredging and quay works to deepen the harbour and handle larger, gearless ships are central to cutting regional transit costs and congestion (deep‑water expansion and dredging plans), and these concrete project pivots make clear where AI and logistics digitisation can deliver the fastest returns for Seychelles' public companies.

“Port Victoria is the gateway to the Seychelles' economy whereby 95 percent of all that we consume is pass through prior to reaching the shelves…” - Minister of Transport (reported)

Conclusion and next steps for Seychelles government companies: convert promising pilots (Port Victoria digitisation, marine surveillance and citizen virtual agents) into a measured programme that starts with data hygiene, clear governance and bite‑sized pilots tied to KPIs; use the Government AI Readiness Index as a benchmarking tool to pick realistic near‑term wins and track progress (Government AI Readiness Index 2024 (Oxford Insights)), and factor in international lessons showing that while most leaders see cost‑saving potential, broad integration lags - so prioritise workforce skills, secure data platforms and accountable procurement (EY survey on public-sector AI adoption - TechMonitor analysis).

Pair each pilot with a local training pipeline so civil servants can operate, audit and iterate solutions in‑house - short, practical programmes such as the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp provide prompt engineering and operational skills to move agencies from buying one‑off services to running repeatable, auditable AI workflows (AI Essentials for Work bootcamp (Nucamp registration)).

The combined approach - data readiness, targeted pilots, governance and skills - turns isolated efficiency gains into sustained savings, faster customs and stronger marine protection.

“The initial focus has paid off for pioneers who have developed a more effective digital and data foundation, and in some cases, data platforms that embrace cloud technologies. They have made faster progress in embedding data capabilities organisation‑wide, rather than just in specific teams and departments. This helps maintain high standards of data quality and consistency, breaks down organisational silos and provides a unified approach to data governance and regulatory compliance.” - Permenthri Pillay, EY Global Government & Public Sector Digital Modernisation Leader