The President of the Republic, Dr. Patrick Herminie, chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 4th March, during which a number of legal and policy memoranda were approved.
Cabinet approved the establishment of the Seychelles Marine Spatial Planning Agency Bill, 2026. This Bill provides for the creation of a dedicated agency responsible for overseeing the implementation, coordination, monitoring and review of the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan across the country’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone. The Agency will operate under the Minister responsible for Environment and will be administered by an Executive Committee appointed by the President with representation from both public authorities and relevant Civil Society Organisations. The establishment of the Agency represents the final institutional component required to operationalise Seychelles’ national marine spatial planning framework and strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and strategic use of the country’s marine resources.
Cabinet approved the annulment of the ongoing national cleaning tender administered by the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA) on technical grounds. The decision followed a review which identified that aspects of the tender structure, including the configuration of lots and the scope of services, could have limited wider participation and fair competition among bidders. Cabinet therefore approved a revision of the tender scope to strengthen transparency and competitiveness. Cabinet also approved a revised timeline for the re-tendering process; the extension of existing cleaning contracts until December 2026 to ensure continuity of services; and the allocation of additional budgetary resources to support the re-tendering exercise and related operational requirements.
Cabinet approved the signing of the Reciprocal Fishing Agreement between the Republic of Seychelles and the Republic of Mauritius, which provides for reciprocal access for licensed tuna fishing vessels of both countries within their respective Exclusive Economic Zones. The agreement establishes licensing conditions, vessel limits, and applicable fees for purse seine and longline vessels, and will be valid for a period of three years with retrospective effect from 1 January 2026. The arrangement strengthens bilateral cooperation between Seychelles and Mauritius in the sustainable management and utilisation of tuna fisheries in the region.
Cabinet approved the establishment of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council as a non-statutory advisory body to provide independent macro-strategic economic advice to the President on matters affecting national economic stability, competitiveness, diversification, and long-term resilience. The Council will be chaired by the President and composed primarily of experienced private-sector leaders appointed in their personal capacity and will operate in an advisory role without executive authority.
Cabinet approved for sooty tern eggs to be cropped in 2026, this will be subject to further technical discussions to establish quotas for the collection and the determination of the most appropriate sites.
Cabinet approved for the government of Seychelles to support the Chagossian community residing in Seychelles and reaffirmed Seychelles’ commitment to supporting the dignity, rights, and welfare of the Chagossian community residing in Seychelles, while respecting the sovereignty and legal processes of the countries involved.
Cabinet approved a time-bound transitional arrangement for the stabilisation and continued implementation of the Agency for Social Protection’s ASP Connect system to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of social protection services. Cabinet agreed to the continuation of technical support from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) during 2026, strictly limited to system stabilisation, the resolution of operational issues, and structured knowledge transfer to government. Targeted implementation refinements, including the introduction of permanent Over-the-Counter (OTC) access and structured pilot testing to strengthen system accessibility and performance was also approved. The Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DICT) will lead the transition towards full government ownership of the system and the development of a long-term national social protection platform.