MORONI, November 11, 2019 - After a long period of consultations on-site, online and on social networks, the World Bank has just finalized its first assessment of the economic and social situation in Comoros, or Systematic Country Diagnosis (SCD). The objective? To identify priority areas for economic development.
From September 2017 to May 2018, many experts from the World Bank, working in sectors as varied as education, health, employment, access to energy or water and sanitation, crisscrossed Comoros to meet with the authorities, donors such as the French Development Agency, the United Nations Development Program, and the African Development Bank, representatives of the private sector and civil society, to get their views on what works and what needs to be improved to reach Comoros’ development goals.
Among the obstacles to the development of Comoros mentioned by those interviewed, we found the geographic isolation of the country combined with the lack of connectivity between the various islands of the archipelago. These constraints are costly and limit economic activity. The weight of informal trade as well as the high unemployment rate - especially among young people - was also widely mentioned as a concern among Comorian families. Finally, the mismatch of skills between job seekers and the actual needs of employers seems to be an important issue. Girls, in particular, lack opportunities and support, both in education and employment.