How Africa’s smallest nation is cleaning up its waste and energy sectors

In the azure waters of the Indian Ocean lies Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands. While being the smallest country in Africa in terms of land area, Seychelles serves as a strong voice for small island states through its environmental stewardship and sustainable development initiatives.  

Seychelles is facing numerous challenges relating to the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change; the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss; and the crisis of pollution and waste. To address these, the country has remained steadfast in its commitment to environmental conservation through its partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 2002. Seychelles regularly contributes to UNEP’s core Environment Fund, the organization’s main source of flexible funding and the bedrock of its work on the triple planetary crisis. 

“The programmes that UNEP has been operating over the past years have really contributed to the success of Seychelles that we see today,” said Flavien Joubert, Seychelles’ Minister of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment. “We expect that with time, we will continue to evolve in our relationship with UNEP and cover all areas, even those that traditionally we haven’t.” 

Most recently, Seychelles has partnered with UNEP to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in its transportation sector. As part of the Global Programme to Support Countries with the Shift to Electric Mobility, a Global Environment Facility–funded project led by UNEP with a consortium of partners, Seychelles has connected with 29 other low- and middle-income countries and leveraged expertise from UNEP on heavy-duty vehicles to advance its electric transportation. This feeds into the achievement of Seychelles’ renewable energy targets. Currently, the country operates on 5 per cent renewable energy, aiming to reach 15 per cent by 2030. 

Like many small island states, Seychelles faces difficulties in waste management due to its limited land area and vulnerability to environmental impacts, exacerbated by rapid population growth and increasing tourism. The Solid Waste Management Plan of Seychelles 2020-2035 outlines strategies to address this by focusing on efficient waste collection, recycling initiatives and reducing landfill dependence. It aims to mitigate land and marine pollution through integrated approaches tailored to the island’s geographic and environmental constraints. 

At a systemic level, Seychelles recognizes the need to transition to sustainable consumption and production. UNEP, through the Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund, has supported the Seychelles in developing its circular economy roadmap and action plan. To further catalyze investment in circular economy ventures and businesses, a Circular Economy Challenge fund worth US$150,000 was initiated in March 2024.

Looking ahead, Joubert believes in Seychelles’ ability to lead by example. “As we convene at international forums such as the United Nations Environment Assembly and COP meetings, our aim is to produce the best results in our own country so that it contributes to global goals.” 

Seychelles is one of UNEP’s 2023 full-share funding partners, whose contributions to the Environment Fund, UNEP’s core fund, enable agile, innovative global solutions for climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Learn how to support UNEP to invest in people and planet.    

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).