The Leader of the Opposition, Bernard Georges, has criticised proposed legislation to re-establish the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (NISTI), describing it as a “copy-paste” law based on the original act passed in 2014.
Mr Georges told the National Assembly that the current government had largely repurposed the old law and made few improvements, adding that the bill contained several grammatical errors. He said the proposed legislation represented a missed opportunity to address weaknesses from the past.
He made the remarks during debate on the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation Bill 2025, which was presented to the Assembly by Vice-President Sebastien Pillay.
Explaining the bill, Mr Pillay said it fulfilled President Patrick Herminie’s first 100-day commitment under the United Seychelles manifesto to bring back NISTI. He said the institute would oversee all aspects of science, technology and innovation in Seychelles.
The Vice-President said the proposed institute would differ from its predecessor by allowing the creation of a fund to provide financial support for innovative projects.
He added that the legislation aimed to create an environment that supports the local development of science, technology and innovation.
Mr Pillay told the Assembly that digital technology and innovation were attracting strong interest among young people in many countries. He said the new institute would help encourage similar interest in Seychelles.
He also said the law would allow NISTI to engage in international collaboration with countries willing to share expertise and provide training to build local capacity. This, he said, would be pursued through what he described as “science diplomacy”.
According to the Vice-President, the agency would promote research and technical exchanges to strengthen skills among Seychellois, while supporting education and human resource development.
He urged members of the National Assembly to support the bill, saying it would encourage positive engagement by young people in the science, innovation and technology sector.
During the debate, members from both sides of the House expressed opposing views. United Seychelles said the bill addressed what it described as an injustice committed when the previous NISTI was abolished by the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) government.
Opposition members, however, said the legislation had not been sufficiently thought through and warned it could repeat mistakes made under the former institute.
Following the debate, the bill was passed by a majority in the National Assembly.