Results

Between 2019 and 2024, the project achieved the following results:

• Revenue growth: Beneficiary start-ups, MSMEs, and value chain actors achieved an average revenue increase of 36 percent by project close.
• Job creation: 1,772 direct full-time jobs were created in agriculture, tourism, and associated sectors. Notably, 44 percent of the jobs were created for women and 60 percent for youth.
• Private finance mobilized: The project catalyzed $8.2 million in private investment — four times the original target of $2 million.
• Agricultural productivity: Yield per hectare for selected crops increased by nearly 34 percent, benefiting smallholder farmers.
• Infrastructure rehabilitated: 30.31 km of feeder roads and agricultural paths were rehabilitated, improving market access for rural communities.
• Farmers reached: 62,222 farmers benefited from enhanced services and productive assets, including value chain support, equipment rental, business services, and rehabilitated rural roads improving market access.
• Women entrepreneurs supported: 46 percent of firms and cooperatives receiving matching grants were women-owned; 99 young entrepreneurs received cash grants or technical assistance.

Development Challenge

Comoros is one of the world's most fragile and structurally constrained economies, heavily reliant on subsistence agriculture and remittances, with limited private sector activity and high youth unemployment. Poor rural infrastructure, weak agricultural productivity, and a nascent business environment constrained economic growth. The archipelago's geographic isolation further limited market access for small enterprises and farmers, making economic diversification an urgent development priority.

World Bank Group Approach

The Integrated Development and Competitiveness Project (PIDC) tackled Comoros' competitiveness challenges through a multi-pronged operation financed by the International Development Association (IDA). The project aimed to: (i) strengthen strategic value chains through a holistic approach, and (ii) provide targeted, firm-level support. Together, these interventions addressed the key constraints faced by the private sector in Comoros.

The project combined matching grants for MSMEs, a business plan competition, rehabilitation of feeder roads and agricultural infrastructure, and support to multi-service rural platforms. It also integrated technical assistance and capacity building for value chain actors in agriculture and tourism alongside direct financial support to firms.

The business plan competition targeted young local entrepreneurs—especially women— and supported them through business incubation and early-stage growth. It provided technical assistance and grants to finance startup business plans in agriculture, livestock, and tourism for the winning applicants. The competition was so effective that partners, including UNDP and the French Development Agency, replicated it.

The project also supported a national agriculture data unit and adoption of a national agriculture investment plan, reinforcing long-term institutional capacity. It strengthened key institutions, including the investment promotion agency, through a Customer Relations Management (CRM) tool and targeted tourism promotion that renewed interest among major international hospitality brands in the country. In addition, the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture received support—including IT and new coworking spaces that can accommodate up to 100 MSMEs and startups and trained 400 young firms—to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Contribution to World Bank Group Targets and Jobs

The PIDC directly contributes to the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Jobs agenda by creating jobs and improving livelihoods in one of Africa's most fragile economies. It also advances gender targets, with 46 percent of business grants going to women-owned enterprises. By catalyzing $8.2 million in private finance against a $2 million target, the project demonstrates strong leverage of public investment in an FCV setting, contributing to the Maximizing Finance for Development agenda.

Beneficiary Quotes

Lessons Learned

Two key lessons emerged. First, in fragile and conflict-affected settings, early investment in implementation readiness — qualified staff, clear procurement plans, and stakeholder engagement — is critical to sustaining momentum. Second, designing monitoring and evaluation systems with rigor and innovation is essential in FCV environments where official statistics are often unreliable; collecting robust baseline data and using diversified verification methods leads to more credible and actionable results.

Next Steps

The WBG will continue supporting Comoros' private and agricultural sectors to promote job creation, building on the institutional foundations established under PIDC — including the investment climate, entrepreneurial ecosystem, and value chain and sector-related instruments, such as the national agriculture data unit and the upgraded rural service platforms. Future engagements will focus on scaling successful instruments like the business plan competition, deepening value chain integration, and strengthening the financial sector to sustain access to credit for MSMEs. Addressing persistent data gaps and governance challenges will remain central to sustaining results in this fragile context.