AGP Executive Report

Climate Smart Agriculture: Israeli-supported drip irrigation and a community water project are helping hundreds of farmers in Kenya’s Mbeere North turn dry land into year-round vegetable and fruit farms, boosting food security and incomes. Space & Diplomacy: A Lowy Institute report says India’s satellite and ocean-observation cooperation with Seychelles is part of a wider “soft power” push using practical space services. Local Housing Tech & Infrastructure: NBCC (India) signed an agreement to build 1,008 affordable homes on Île Aurore in Seychelles, funded via a $75m Indian line of credit and including a sewage treatment plant. Crypto & Trading Tools (Seychelles-linked): Zoomex is expanding its Strategy Center in Seychelles, combining strategy backtesting, live execution, grid automation and copy trading in one workspace. Digital Finance Expansion: Bitget signed a cooperation deal with Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City to pursue a licensed digital asset presence, while also upgrading its CFD platform with native TradingView charts. US Travel Policy: The US made its visa bond programme permanent, requiring some African applicants to post up to $20,000 for B1/B2 visas. Cyber & AI Jobs: A World Bank study warns AI job displacement risk is far higher in high-income countries, and an Interpol report flags Ethiopia’s rising cyber vulnerabilities.

Seychelles–India Space Ties: A new Lowy Institute report says India’s space cooperation agreement with Seychelles (ocean observation, marine science, coastal management) is part of a wider “soft power” push using satellite services and partner ground support. Crypto Platform Update (Seychelles-linked): Zoomex says its Strategy Center is now live, bringing strategy backtesting, live execution, grid automation and copy trading into one workspace for verified users. Local Telecom & Digital Rewards: Cable & Wireless Seychelles held an eShop and Multi View promotion prize ceremony, tying customer engagement to FIFA World Cup winners. Trading Rules Impacting Users: Bitget’s Japan exit plan forces Japan-linked accounts into close-only mode from Nov 1 and forces liquidation of remaining positions by Dec 31, 2026. AI Jobs & Data Centres: A World Bank study warns AI job displacement risk is far higher in high-income countries, while an IMF-based look shows Sub-Saharan Africa still has a small, uneven data-centre footprint. Cybersecurity Pressure: Interpol’s assessment ranks Ethiopia fifth in Africa for digital vulnerabilities, citing fast tech growth outpacing cyber readiness. Visa Policy Watch (Seychelles angle): Finland’s visa-free list for Africans includes only Mauritius and Seychelles, while the US makes a visa bond programme permanent for many African countries. Housing for Seychelles: NBCC (India) signed an Île Aurore Housing Project deal for 1,008 affordable homes, backed by a $75m EXIM Bank line of credit.

Seychelles Housing Deal: NBCC (India) has signed an agreement with the Government of Seychelles to build the Île Aurore Housing Project—1,008 affordable homes plus infrastructure—funded via a $75m EXIM Bank line of credit, including a dedicated sewage treatment plant. Crypto Platform Update: Zoomex says its new Strategy Center is now live for verified users, bringing strategy backtesting, live execution, grid automation and copy trading into one place. Digital Assets in Bhutan: Bitget signed a cooperation agreement with Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority to pursue a licensed digital asset presence in Bhutan. TradingView for CFDs: Bitget also upgraded its CFD platform with native TradingView integration for analysis and order execution in one interface. Cybersecurity Watch: Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment reports Ethiopia ranks 5th for digital vulnerabilities, with cyber risks rising as tech growth outpaces defenses. AI Infrastructure Gap: An IMF-linked look at data centres says Sub-Saharan Africa has only about 160 facilities (around 5.5% of global), heavily concentrated in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Local Tech & Sports: Cable & Wireless Seychelles held a prize ceremony for eShop and Multi View promotions tied to the FIFA World Cup. Deep-Sea Mining Governance: A commentary from Kingston’s ISA talks says governments failed to adopt a Mining Code, leaving key environmental and liability issues unresolved.

Seychelles Housing: NBCC (India) has signed a landmark deal with the Government of Seychelles to build the Île Aurore Housing Project—1,008 affordable homes plus key infrastructure, funded via a $75m EXIM Bank line of credit and including a dedicated sewage treatment plant. Digital Finance & Trading: Zoomex says its new Strategy Center is now live, aiming to bring strategy backtesting, live execution, grid automation and copy trading into one place for verified users. Crypto Exchange Expansion: Bitget signed a cooperation agreement with Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority to set up a legal presence and pursue a financial services licence, subject to approvals. US Travel Policy: The US has made permanent a visa bond programme for applicants from 50 countries, including many African nations—potentially requiring up to $20,000 before B1/B2 visas. Space & Telecom: SpaceX confirmed it plans ground-based telecom infrastructure alongside Starlink, signaling a push toward true mobile service competition. Cybersecurity & AI Infrastructure: An IMF-backed look at Sub-Saharan Africa highlights a data-centre gap—only about 160 facilities across the region—while Interpol flags Ethiopia as fifth for digital vulnerabilities. Local Tech & Community: Cable & Wireless Seychelles held a prize ceremony for its eShop and Multi View promotions, tying digital services to World Cup-style customer engagement.

Seychelles Telecom & Digital Services: Cable & Wireless Seychelles held a prize ceremony for its eShop lottery and Multi View promotion, rewarding customers for using modern digital services. Seychelles Housing & Infrastructure: NBCC (India) signed a landmark deal with the Government of Seychelles to build the Île Aurore Housing Project—1,008 affordable homes plus infrastructure—funded via a $75m EXIM Bank line of credit, including a dedicated sewage treatment plant. Cybersecurity & Digital Risk: Interpol reports Ethiopia ranks fifth in Africa for digital vulnerabilities, with cyber threats rising as tech growth outpaces patching and cyber hygiene. AI & Jobs: A World Bank study warns AI job displacement risk is far higher in high-income countries (14.2% of jobs highly automatable) than in low- and middle-income economies (4.5%). Fintech & Investing Access: etoro and Papaya Global launched etoro work powered by Papaya Global’s Banco, linking workers’ pay to optional investing. Crypto Market Moves: Bitget upgraded its CFD trading with native TradingView charts, while also setting a Japan wind-down deadline for existing traders. Marine Conservation: A new global study finds drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging tighter limits and better tracking.

AI Infrastructure Gap: An IMF-backed look at Sub-Saharan Africa shows only about 160 data centre facilities, roughly 5.5% of global installations, with nearly half concentrated in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya—highlighting the physical bottleneck behind AI growth. AI Jobs Risk: A new World Bank report warns high-income countries face the biggest exposure to AI job displacement (14.2% of jobs highly automatable vs 4.5% in low- and middle-income economies). Cybersecurity Pressure: Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment puts Ethiopia 5th for digital vulnerabilities, with cybercrime losses nearing $5bn and spending at $15.3bn across the continent. Tokenized Markets: Bitget says tokenized equities active market cap jumped 140% in 2026 to nearly $2bn, with its CFD and tokenized-equity execution metrics standing out in DeFiLlama research. Seychelles Focus: Seychelles ranks among the top for academic freedom (V-Dem 2025 index) and is one of only two African countries (with Mauritius) confirmed for Finland visa-free entry. Local Tech & Housing: NBCC (India) signed a $75m line-of-credit deal to build 1,008 affordable homes on Île Aurore, including a sewage treatment plant. Ocean & Environment: A global study in Science Advances finds drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, calling for tighter limits and better tracking.

Seychelles Housing Deal: NBCC (India) has signed a landmark agreement with the Government of Seychelles to build the Île Aurore Housing Project with 1,008 affordable homes and key infrastructure, funded via a $75m Indian EXIM Bank line of credit, including a dedicated sewage treatment plant. Seychelles Cybersecurity & Digital Risk: Interpol’s African cyberthreat assessment says Ethiopia ranks fifth on the continent for digital vulnerabilities, warning that fast tech growth is outpacing patching and cyber hygiene—an issue Seychelles readers will recognise as local systems modernise. Academic Freedom Map: A new global ranking using V-Dem’s Academic Freedom Index shows Seychelles scoring 0.93 and rising sharply since 2015, while academic freedom declines in many countries worldwide. Deep-Sea Mining Watch: An opinion piece from Seychelles urges a precautionary pause as the International Seabed Authority failed to adopt a Mining Code after 15 years, leaving major environmental and governance gaps unresolved. Indian Ocean Focus: A commentary links India’s diplomacy to the Indian Ocean’s role in trade, energy and undersea cables, with Seychelles highlighted as part of the wider regional relationship. Marine Tech & Conservation: Research reports drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, calling for tighter limits, better tracking, and stronger responsibility for retrieval. Trade & Tech Finance: etoro and Papaya Global are partnering to let workers invest directly from pay, while Bitget upgraded its CFD platform with native TradingView charts; Bitget also announced a Japan wind-down with forced position closures by Dec 31.

Seychelles Housing: NBCC (India) signed a landmark deal with the Government of Seychelles to build 1,008 affordable homes on Île Aurore, backed by a $75m EXIM Bank line of credit and including a dedicated sewage treatment plant. Digital Finance: etoro and Papaya Global are launching “etoro work powered by Papaya Global’s Banco,” linking workers’ pay to investing with education and community. Crypto Exchange Watch: Bitget says Japan users must close positions by Dec 31, 2026 after halting new registrations, with accounts moving to close-only from Nov 1. Trading Tools: Bitget upgraded its CFD platform with native TradingView charts for analysis and order execution in one place. Ocean Governance: An opinion piece from Seychelles calls out the International Seabed Authority’s failure to adopt a Mining Code, urging stronger environmental safeguards before deep-sea mining. STEM & Preparedness: IOC-UNESCO trained tsunami facilitators across the North-West Indian Ocean, using the Tsunami Ready indicators to strengthen local readiness. Marine Science: A global study reports drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging tighter limits and better tracking. Visa Policy (Seychelles relevance): Finland confirms visa-free entry for only Mauritius and Seychelles among African nations, while the US makes its visa bond programme permanent for B1/B2 applicants from 50 countries.

Housing & Infrastructure: NBCC (India) has signed a landmark deal with Seychelles to build the Île Aurore Housing Project—1,008 affordable homes plus supporting infrastructure, funded via a $75m Line of Credit from EXIM Bank, including a dedicated Sewage Treatment Plant. Ocean Governance: A Seychelles-based opinion piece says the International Seabed Authority ended talks in Kingston without adopting a Mining Code, leaving key gaps on environmental safeguards, liability, inspection and benefit-sharing unresolved. Trade & Finance (Seychelles-linked): Bitget has upgraded its CFD platform with native TradingView charts, while also setting a Japan wind-down deadline—Japanese traders must close positions by Dec 31, 2026 after new registrations were halted. Marine Science: A global study reports drifting fish aggregating devices are affecting more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging tighter limits, better tracking and stronger retrieval responsibility. Disaster Preparedness (Indian Ocean): IOC-UNESCO trained tsunami facilitators across the North-West Indian Ocean, using the Tsunami Ready Indicators to strengthen local preparedness. Local Research: Seychelles honey research continues with a Togo researcher exploring a Geographical Indication for Seychelles honey.

Crypto Exchange Update: Bitget has upgraded its CFD trading platform with native TradingView charts, letting users analyse and trade from the same screen. Regulatory Pressure: Bitget is also exiting Japan, with Japanese traders required to close open positions by Dec 31, 2026 or face forced liquidation. Maritime & Ocean Tech: A global study reports drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s marine protected areas, urging tighter limits and better retrieval. Seychelles Science & Food: International research is supporting a potential Geographical Indication for Seychelles honey, aiming to strengthen value for producers. Regional Tech & Skills: India and Seychelles reaffirm ties as tsunami preparedness training brings local facilitators into the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready framework. Local Relevance: Finland confirms visa-free entry for only Mauritius and Seychelles among African nations, while Finland’s sector-based pay floors are reported to reach about €1,900–€2,500 monthly. Industry/Infrastructure: GRSE won a ₹1,032 crore ONGC contract to build four offshore support vessels, boosting India’s shipbuilding capacity.

Visa Rules for Seychelles Travelers: Finland has updated its visa-free entry list, confirming that among African nations only Mauritius and Seychelles can enter without a visa for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180 days) under Schengen conditions. US Immigration Policy: The US has made its visa bond programme permanent, requiring some B1/B2 applicants from 50 countries (including many African states) to post a refundable bond of up to USD 20,000 before a visa is issued. Seychelles Housing Deal: NBCC (India) has signed a formal contract with the Government of Seychelles to build 1,008 affordable homes at Île Aurore (a project valued at about USD 75 million). Marine Tech & Conservation: A new global study warns that drifting tuna fishing gear (dFADs) affects more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, calling for tighter limits and better tracking. Tsunami Readiness: IOC-UNESCO trained facilitators across the Indian Ocean, including Seychelles, to strengthen local tsunami preparedness using the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready indicators. Crypto Event in Seychelles: Zoomex, based in Seychelles, will sponsor Coinfest Asia 2026 and host a side event in Bali, targeting traders and builders in Web3.

Seychelles-India Ties: India’s Minister of State for External Affairs highlighted 50 years of Seychelles–India relations at the Republic of Seychelles National Day reception, stressing people-to-people links and shared goals. Ocean & Marine Science: A global study reports drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, calling for tighter limits, better tracking, and stronger retrieval responsibility. Coastal Safety Training: IOC-UNESCO trained facilitators across the North-West Indian Ocean to boost tsunami readiness using the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Indicators, with Seychelles among participating countries. Local Tech/Finance: NBCC (India) signed a full contract with the Government of Seychelles for an affordable housing project on Île Aurore—1,008 units under a $75m deal. Marine Noise Threat: Research coverage warns underwater ocean noise is rising in the Western Indian Ocean as shipping reroutes, threatening whales and other sound-dependent species. Crypto & Events: Seychelles-based Zoomex announced it will sponsor Coinfest Asia 2026 in Bali and host a “Trade the Tide” party for traders and Web3 builders. Travel Policy Watch: Finland’s visa-free list includes only Mauritius and Seychelles among African nations, while South Africa’s proposed e-visa ETA fee is set to expand digital pre-travel checks.

Seychelles Tech & Finance: VCG Markets has secured a Seychelles licence from the Seychelles Finance Services Authority, expanding its regulatory footprint as it pushes growth in emerging markets, with details on leverage and products still not disclosed. AI & Policy: An IMF paper estimates AI could raise Sub-Saharan Africa productivity by 0.2% to 2.1% cumulatively over the next decade, but says Nigeria’s current low adoption means gains may stay near the bottom unless policy, skills and infrastructure improve. Marine Science: A global study in Science Advances finds drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging tighter limits, better tracking and stronger responsibility for retrieval. Ocean Safety Training: IOC-UNESCO trained tsunami facilitators across the North-West Indian Ocean, using the Tsunami Ready Indicators to strengthen local preparedness and response. Seychelles Food Research: Seychelles’ agriculture department hosted a visiting researcher exploring a Geographical Indication for Seychelles honey. Digital Travel Rules: South Africa is making its electronic travel authorisation programme permanent, with bonds up to USD 20,000 for some visa applicants under a new US policy. Crypto & Regulation: EU sanctions target crypto exchange HTX, while Seychelles-linked broker licensing and new trading app launches keep the region’s fintech momentum going.

AI & Productivity: An IMF paper estimates AI adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa could raise productivity by just 0.2% over ten years under “current conditions,” with Nigeria’s low diffusion highlighted as policy and skills—not the tech—are the main bottlenecks. Marine Science for Seychelles: A global study in Science Advances finds drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging tighter limits, better tracking, and stronger responsibility for retrieving lost gear. Tsunami Readiness (Indian Ocean): IOC-UNESCO trained facilitators from Seychelles and other regional states to help coastal communities use the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready indicators, aiming to turn preparedness into practical local action. Local Food Research: Seychelles honey gets a boost as a researcher from Togo begins a six-week mission exploring a Geographical Indication for Seychelles honey. Seychelles Tech & Finance: VCG Markets secured a Seychelles licence as it expands in emerging markets, betting on better execution and technology for traders. Digital Trade & Web3: Zoomex will sponsor Coinfest Asia 2026 in Bali and host a side party, spotlighting crypto trading and builders across Asia. Coral Recovery: A Mauritius–Seychelles coral restoration push puts coastal communities at the center, backed by the Adaptation Fund and UNDP to rebuild reef ecosystems after repeated bleaching.

Seychelles Tech & Finance: VCG Markets says it has secured a Seychelles licence from the FSA, aiming to expand in emerging markets with its mobile trading app and tighter local regulatory standards. Digital Public Infrastructure: India signed MoUs with 24 countries to share population-scale digital solutions, pushing globally connected digital services built on its DPI approach. Marine Science: A global study in Science Advances reports drifting fish aggregating devices affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, urging stronger limits, better tracking, and company responsibility for retrieval. Coastal Resilience: IOC-UNESCO trained facilitators across the Indian Ocean, including Seychelles, to boost tsunami readiness using the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready indicators. Seychelles Housing (Business): NBCC formalised a $75m Seychelles affordable housing contract for 1,008 units at Île Aurore, upgrading an earlier letter of intent into a full agreement. Environment & Noise: New reporting highlights underwater noise from shipping as a growing threat to marine life in the Western Indian Ocean, including Seychelles waters. Crypto & Trading: BitMEX is set to shut down on 23 September 2026, while other firms keep rolling out trading products and apps.

Marine Conservation: A new global study in Science Advances says drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) affect more than half of the world’s protected marine areas, with 6,324 strandings recorded across 174 protected areas (2007–2023), and calls for tighter limits, better tracking, and stronger company responsibility for lost gear. Ocean Health: Another report warns underwater noise from rising shipping is threatening marine life across the Western Indian Ocean, including Seychelles waters, as sound pollution disrupts communication and navigation for whales, dolphins, fish and invertebrates. Local Climate Action: A coral reef restoration project across Mauritius and Seychelles is rebuilding damaged reef ecosystems with coastal communities at the center, aiming to boost resilience after repeated bleaching events. Seychelles Tech & Finance: VCG Markets says it has secured a Seychelles licence from the FSA, expanding its regulatory footprint as it pushes growth in emerging markets. Regional Preparedness: IOC-UNESCO trained facilitators from Seychelles and other Indian Ocean countries to strengthen tsunami readiness using the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Indicators. Honey Research: Seychelles agriculture welcomed an international researcher exploring a Geographical Indication (GI) for Seychelles honey. Digital Assets: Crypto exchange HTX faces EU sanctions, while Seychelles-based owner of BitMEX announced the exchange will shut down on 23 September 2026.