Although only around one percent of citizens in Seychelles live in extreme poverty, the country hopes to assist those living in that condition and eventually bring them out of poverty. Here are some of the causes of poverty in Seychelles and how the government is responding to it.

One of the causes of poverty in Seychelles is its dependence on tourism. When the global economy is struggling, tourism is a luxury that many people give up. When tourism declines, this severely affects the majority of Seychelles’ economy. Beyond that, Seychelles is uncomfortable with raising the cost of tourism to make the country more competitive with other tourist destinations; the country strongly values their reputation as an inexpensive place to visit.

Both of these factors culminate into a strong economy that nevertheless cannot sustain its growth. eTurbo News discusses how Seychelles maintains a decent gross domestic product. Unfortunately, a lack of national or international competition prevents the country from soliciting economic improvement.

The stagnant economy exacerbates other causes of poverty in Seychelles, one of which is the incredibly high cost of living. One of many reasons for this is a value-added tax on many items, which makes buying and selling those items very expensive for both the consumer and the producer.

Another of the causes of poverty in Seychelles is the lack of basic needs for the poorer citizens of the country. A study explored in Seychelles News Agency highlights how a large number of Seychellois people lack clean water, food and electricity. The survey also highlights the effects of drug abuse on poverty in Seychelles. In turn, this drug use leads to a lot of ineffective crime punishment.

Because of the causes of poverty in Seychelles, the government is developing programs to assist the poor in the country. Already, the government of Seychelles has implemented short-term intervention programs aimed at making sure families have access to water, food and all-around adequate living conditions. These programs are a fantastic first step aimed at alleviating poverty for Seychelles’ poorest citizens and hopefully they will continue to help even more people.

– Cortney Rowe

Photo: Flickr