MCDF Grant Promotes Strategic Connectivity Investment in Seychelles’ Ports
A USD157,500 pre-concept paper support grant to promote strategic connectivity investments in ports in Seychelles was approved by the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) Governing Committee at its meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 24 September. The pre-concept paper support will be implemented by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The MCDF grant will fund early project preparation work on a 2025-2030 strategic ports investment plan for the Seychelles Port Authority. The plan will seek to attract investments to modernize infrastructure, enhance operational capabilities, and integrate smart and green initiatives across the ports system of the Indian Ocean archipelago, 1,500km off East Africa.
Development of the strategic ports investment plan is especially critical given Seychelles’ economic reliance on tourism, fisheries, and small-scale manufacturing and corresponding need to expand port capacity, protect the country’s fragile marine environment, and build resilience to climate shocks.
Activities supported by the MCDF grant will include the drafting of frameworks for strategic port capacity investment, green ports and environmental sustainability, and strategic environment assessment. The focus will also be on climate, environmental, and broader risk management.
“With sustainability at its core, the Seychelles Ports Authority’s Strategic Investment Plan for 2025-2030 aligns with both regional and global priorities, positioning Seychelles as a leader in green port practices,” said Ms. Nnenna Nwabufo, Director General of the East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office at AfDB.
“Moreover, this initiative bolsters Seychelles’ status as a key maritime hub in the Indian Ocean, and we are confident that its outcomes will drive long-term growth, competitiveness, and regional integration,” concluded Ms. Nwabufo.
Source : MCDF
