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Seychelles has invited Indian businesses to leverage the island nation's strategic location as a gateway to Africa following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent state visit, as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral ties and ramp up trade and commerce, Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche, High Commissioner of Seychelles to India, said on Saturday.
"Despite the fact that Seychelles is small, the location we have is very strategic, where we can play a big role in connecting Africa. Africa is a big market between Asia and even the Middle East. So don't look at Seychelles as small, but look at the location where we can play a big, big role connecting many countries and many continents," she said while responding to a question asked by ANI on the sidelines of the 17th Toy Biz International B2B Expo 2026 in New Delhi. Highlighting the broader relationship between the two countries, the High Commissioner said India and Seychelles share historical ties that extend beyond diplomatic engagement and are underpinned by strong people-to-people connections. She said the focus now is on building on the momentum generated by the Prime Minister's visit and translating it into stronger cooperation across sectors. Asked about the future of bilateral ties, Accouche expressed confidence that relations between India and Seychelles would continue to deepen. "That's obvious. We are going to strengthen more, not only in the business sector but also in people-to-people connections. I am very happy to be here to witness the strengthening of relations and happy to follow up and happy to work more for that," she said. Talking about Prime Minister Modi's visit to the island nation, Accouche said that it has been a very successful visit and we look forward to strengthening further and taking follow-up action on this visit. She further added that it was a big honour for Seychelles to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week on a state visit and as the island nation's Guest of Honour for the 50th anniversary of the independence of Seychelles. "It has been not only a visit but a way to strengthen further the relations between Seychelles and India, which are based on historical links. It is not only about diplomatic relations but also people-to-people connectivity," she said. The envoy said Prime Minister Modi had encouraged greater trade and commercial engagement between the two countries and invited Indian investors and businesses to explore opportunities in Seychelles. "In fact, Seychelles is very small. We do not produce much and we import most of everything. Prime Minister Modi encouraged us to increase the trade and commerce between the two countries and encouraged Indian investors and Indian businessmen to come to Seychelles," she said. She said Seychelles' strategic location offers Indian businesses an opportunity to access larger regional markets, particularly Africa. (ANI)
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