Leadership Changes A Nation and Not Resources 

BY AVM (RTD) AKUGBE IYAMU

Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa located in the Indian Ocean yet the richest because of the effective management of her circumstances. Seychelles is an idyllic archipelago nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, located off East Africa, renowned for its stunning beaches, coral reefs, and rare wildlife like Aldabra giant tortoises.

It has a population of around 100,000 and the capital Victoria on Mahé serves as a tourist hub.

The island nation is widely known for its “high-value low-volume” tourism model that focus on environmental conservation and luxury.

The Nation’s culture is a vibrant Creole mix with English, French, and Seselwa as official languages.

Seychelles environment can be equated to Calabar, Lagos, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo in terms of beaches.

Although the population of Seychelles is approximately between  123,700 and 130,000 as of early 2026 thus making it the least populated sovereign African country.

This population is concentrated on the main islands of Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue with about 90% residing on Mahé. Seychelles has effectively Maximized her tourism industry and transformed the island nation into a high-income, highly developed nation.

Some of the benefits include the country’s projection to have the highest GDP per capita in Africa in 2025 with nominal GDP per capita estimated at approximately $21,956 to $22,051.

This high-income, service-led economy is expected to grow by about 3.2% to 3.9% fundamentally driven by tourism, public investment, and infrastructure projects. Seychelles economy is heavily reliant on tourism and services which account for over 80% of GDP.

Despite the high per capita income, the country has faced high, though stabilizing, debt and a 3.2% unemployment rate as of late 2024. When compared with the case of Nigeria where the country’s tourism industry may be growing but yet largely an untapped sector.

Tourism industry have the potential to contribute approximately 3.9% to the GDP in 2026 whit the required amount of attention. This is because Nigeria tourism industry is rich in potential with diverse culture, landscapes, and over 1,400 km of coastline.

The sector when properly developed will drive increasing domestic travel and cultural tourism. Currently, the sector is hindered by infrastructure deficits, security concerns, and low investment.

In order for the country to maximize key initiatives such as the “Niger Season” framework the sector will have to be restructured and reorganised into a globally attractive investment ecosystem aimed at establishing a 12-month event calendar to boost tourism.

In the period of high economic challenges as currently experienced, this high potential sector can be leveraged like Seychelles to boost foreign exchange inflows, draw international attention to her huge tourism industry and create massive employment.

These can only be realized if the country prioritize her tourism industry currently facing significant challenges primarily rooted in poor infrastructure, severe security concerns (kidnapping, banditry) and inadequate funding.

Despite the sectors immense potential, it is still hindered by poor marketing, negative international perceptions, and weak policy implementation.

As the Nigeria economic crisis escalates and the citizens groan under harsh economic conditions, her static tourism sector need to be revitalized and given the desired attention.

When these challenges are fixed, Nigeria will have foreign exchange inflows like Seychelles, Maldives and Mexico among others.

AVM (RTD) AKUGBE IYAMU

CONSULTANT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ANALYST ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES. HE IS ALSO THE PRESIDENT ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE PRACTITIONERS