The government is aiming to begin implementing a digital Human Resource Management System (HRMS) next year as part of wider efforts to reduce administrative delays, improve efficiency and strengthen public service delivery, Vice-President Mr Sebastien Pillay said.
The Vice-President outlined this expectation during a strategic briefing with representatives of FreeBalance at State House this afternoon, where discussions centred on the government’s digital transformation agenda and its vision for a more modern, efficient and technologically driven public service.
In his introductory remarks, Vice-President Pillay stressed that digital transformation must deliver tangible improvements in the way government institutions operate, particularly by reducing the time taken to complete administrative processes.
He highlighted the need to eliminate unnecessary delays between processes, explaining that efficiency should be measured not only by the availability of digital systems but also by how quickly services can be delivered.
The Vice-President acknowledged that Seychelles, despite its small size, has faced challenges in advancing digitalisation at the desired pace. He emphasised that introducing new technology must be accompanied by changes in existing administrative structures and procedures.
Central to this transformation is the HRMS, which is expected to modernise human resource management across the public service and encourage the digitalisation of other interconnected government processes.
Vice-President Pillay explained that simply converting physical documents into digital formats would not be sufficient if the administrative processes behind them continued to depend heavily on manual intervention.
He noted that while the initial stages of digital transformation may still require officers to manually enter and verify information, the longer-term objective is to establish more integrated systems capable of reducing repetitive administrative tasks.
The Vice-President also addressed concerns surrounding the impact of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, on employment within the public service.
“We wouldn’t want to go in a direction whereby technology replaces people, leaving their jobs,” he stated.
Instead, he emphasised the importance of retraining and equipping public officers with the necessary skills to work alongside new technologies, ensuring that digital transformation strengthens the workforce rather than displacing it.
Looking ahead, Vice-President Pillay indicated that the government expects to begin transitioning towards the HRMS in 2027, marking an important step in its efforts to modernise public administration.
He further outlined a broader vision extending beyond the digitalisation of government services, including the development of technological infrastructure that would enable more digital transactions to be processed locally rather than relying on systems operating outside Seychelles.
The meeting also focused on aligning the HRMS implementation with the government’s strategic priorities, particularly in relation to change management, communication and the involvement of public officers throughout the transition.
In attendance were Secretary of State for Cabinet Affairs and Civil Service, Ms Margaret Moumou, who also serves as Head of the Civil Service, alongside project managers from the Department of Public Administration (DPA) and the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT).
The FreeBalance team brings international experience in public-sector financial and human resource management systems. FreeBalance is a Canadian company headquartered in Ottawa, with a global team working on digital government and public administration projects in countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.
The engagement provided the FreeBalance team with an opportunity to better understand the government’s expectations and the importance of ensuring that the new system responds to the practical needs of public institutions.
The planned introduction of the HRMS forms part of the government’s wider commitment to building a more responsive, accountable and digitally enabled public service, where technology supports faster decision-making, reduces administrative bottlenecks and ultimately improves service delivery to the Seychellois people.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.