SDG9 Spotlight: Innovation Through Inclusion in Seychelles

As the UNDP highlights SDG9 — Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure this month, we’re reminded that innovation is not only about cutting-edge technology.

While larger nations focus on scaling technologies, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) must design contextual, inclusive, and sustainable solutions that work within their unique realities.

True progress on SDG9 means digital and industrial innovations that reach everyone, everywhere.

For Seychelles, that means ensuring innovation speaks the language of its people — literally. Creole is not just a means of communication, but an identity marker, a bridge across communities, and the key to making digital services truly accessible.

We’ve already seen positive steps:

• ATM banking in Creole, ensuring financial services can be used confidently by all.

• IECD childcare payment platforms in Creole, making family services simpler and approachable.

• Government portals and communications increasingly offering bilingual or trilingual options, reducing barriers to information.

But the question remains: how far are we willing to go to ensure that digital services reflect the realities of our population?

Inclusivity means more than translation. It’s about:

• Designing platforms that work across different literacy levels.

• Creating apps that are intuitive even for first-time users.

• Ensuring online services do not exclude those with intermittent connectivity.

For Seychelles — and other island nations — this is what SDG9 looks like in practice: not infrastructure for its own sake, but infrastructure that serves people in their language, their context, and their daily lives.

At Vincere Consulting, we believe innovation built on inclusivity is not a second step — it’s the foundation of resilience, trust, and progress.