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Seychelles parliament marks a new chapter in climate leadership
- tania1413
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The National Assembly of Seychelles has completed its formal induction programme for incoming members of parliament. Among the sessions held in October, was a focused briefing on the Parliamentarians for Climate Finance project, a growing effort that supports countries working to scale green investment and strengthen climate governance.
Seychelles faces sharp climate pressures as a small island state. Rising demand for electricity, limited land and high exposure to climate risks mean decisions made in the next few years will matter. The induction session brought together 33 participants including 29 parliamentarians who were briefed on current progress and the work still ahead.
As the Policy Coordinator for the Seychelles, I opened the session with an overview of the project and its aims. I explained that the initiative is designed to increase public and private green investment by strengthening the role of legislators. Parliamentarians hold real influence through political leadership, legislation, oversight, budget scrutiny, constituency engagement and the ability to bring different groups together. Parliamentarians are key agents of change.
I also set out how the concept of Green Energy Zones has been drafted to be included in Seychelles’ third Nationally Determined Contribution subject to further consultations. The zones aim to bring clean energy producers and users together in one place to cut risk for investors and lower costs for businesses. Work is now planned to rebuild the Parliamentary Steering Committee, develop project pipelines and deliver targeted capacity building.
A second presentation was led by Dr Laurent Sam from UNIDO who walked participants through Seychelles’ energy outlook. Demand reached 500GWh in 2024 with 88 percent being used on Mahe. All islands are expected to see 1-3% annual growth in the years ahead. He noted that Seychelles aims for a 15 percent share of renewable energy by 2030 although the current share is only 5 percent.
Dr Sam pointed to the Integrated Resource Plan which sets out options from solar and batteries to waste-to-energy and efficiency measures. He highlighted how sectors overlap. For example, 3 percent of national electricity use goes to desalination which remains a costly way to produce drinking water. Cutting the need for desalination would ease pressure on the power system and lower emissions.
On climate finance he stated that Seychelles had calculated for its second NDC that it needed USD700 million for adaptation and mitigation but has spent only USD85 million so far. He explained that this is not only a question of limited funds. Local finance exists but is not being directed into climate projects at the scale required.
Dr Sam also expanded on how Green Energy Zones could work in Seychelles. Larger countries can allocate vast land areas for renewables, but islands do not have that option. In practice Seychelles might need to focus on decarbonising existing industrial sites like Providence and building smaller community models. Examples included biogas production, community composting and agrivoltaics which can support local farmers and reduce waste. He noted that government agencies are already developing related plans and that Members of the National Assembly will play an important role in shaping how community zones progress.
Members raised questions throughout the session touching on Seychelles’ position as a low emitter country, the responsibilities of major polluters and the influence of small island states in international negotiations. There were also questions about the Public Utilities Company and its role in future renewable projects. Dr Sam pointed to planned floating solar and offshore wind projects although neither has secured financing yet.
The session ended with a clear sense of purpose. Parliamentarians signalled that they want practical pathways for investment, stronger links across institutions and a better understanding of where Seychelles can move quickest. The PCF team will now work with the newly formed Assembly to pick up the next phase of work including the Steering Committee, project pipelines and national training sessions.
The induction set the tone for what comes next. The issues are complex but the appetite to engage was evident. This early groundwork gives the Assembly a stronger footing as Seychelles moves into the next stage of its climate and energy transition.
Shannon Surman
Policy Coordinator, Seychelles