India Extends $175-Mn Support To Seychelles, As Herminie Invites Modi To 50th Independence Day
India and Seychelles reaffirmed their development and security partnership during high-level talks in New Delhi, as both sides signalled deeper cooperation across economic support, maritime security and people-centric growth. Imge courtesy: AI generated picture via DALL-E
India will extend a $175-million funding support to Seychelles under a development partnership, even as President Dr Patrick Herminie invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the guest of honour at the 50th Independence Day celebrations.
These developments came on February 9, 2026, when Dr Herminie was in New Delhi and held a summit meeting with Modi just 100 days after his inauguration as President.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Seychelles’ diplomatic ties with India, and Dr Herminie’s invitation to Modi to the Independence Day ceremony indicates a shared colonial past and efforts to decolonise both nations.
The Seychelles President acknowledged India’s steadfast support for the development and security needs and aspirations of his nation through lines of credit, grants, capacity building and high-impact community development projects (HICDP).
In response, Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to remaining a pivotal and reliable partner in Seychelles’ national development agenda, with particular focus on sustainability, defence and maritime security, capacity building, resilience and inclusive growth.
“Development partnership has been a strong foundation of India-Seychelles relations. Our initiatives have always been guided by the priorities and needs of Seychelles,” the Prime Minister said.
Reaffirming their commitment to work closely to expand and intensify the people-centric development partnership between the two countries, India announced a ‘Special Economic Package’ of $175 million, which will include a blended financial assistance of $125 million in Rupee-denominated Line of Credit and $50 million in grant assistance for development cooperation projects, capacity building for civilians and defence officials, and maritime security.
Recognising that India’s rapid digitalisation is a force for good in the Global South, the two leaders agreed to work closely in the sphere of digital transformation.
Noting the need for Seychelles to digitise governance for the benefit of its citizens, India agreed to undertake comprehensive efforts on the buildout of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including digital payments, in accordance with the needs and requirements of Seychelles.
Dr Herminie’s invitation to Modi to be the Guest of Honour at Seychelles’s 50th Independence Anniversary event was announced during a joint press conference.
Herminie said his visit to India reflected the deep-rooted friendship and mutual respect shared by the two countries. He said they reaffirmed their shared responsibility to ensure safety and lawful activity in the western Indian Ocean.
“Our cooperation in maritime surveillance, security and defence capacity-building plays a crucial role in addressing international crime, piracy and maritime threats, while safeguarding critical sea lanes,” he said.
During his remarks, Prime Minister Modi welcomed Seychelles as a full member of the Colombo Security Conclave and described defence and maritime cooperation as key pillars of the bilateral partnership.
