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# [COMOROS] New Commerce Law: Street Trading and Crafts Reserved for Comorian Nationals Only
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/comores-commerce-interieur-la-loi-du-27-juillet-reserve-la-vente-ambulante-et-lartisanat-aux-seuls-comoriens-en/
- Published: 2026-08-05T08:46:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-05T08:46:06.000Z
- Description: Promulgated on July 27, 2026, Comoros's new domestic commerce law reserves street vending, personal services and artisanal trades for native nationals only — rewriting the rules for foreign operators across the archipelago.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Comores, Économie, Flash de mi-journée, #en

**Passed by the Comorian Parliament on June 15, 2026 and promulgated six weeks later on July 27, the new domestic commerce law marks a turning point in the archipelago's economic policy. It reserves three major categories of activity exclusively for native Comorian nationals: street vending, personal proximity services and small artisanal workshops. Foreign traders are excluded from these segments, now designated as protected national economic heritage.**

## What the law says

Article 26 of the legislation lists the three pillars justifying the restriction: «public order, food security and economic sovereignty». In practice, Comorian nationals now hold exclusive rights to ambulant food and artisanal sales, personal services (hairdressing, home care, domestic help) and small repair workshops (light mechanics, tailoring, basic electronics).

Naturalised foreigners — those who have formally obtained Comorian citizenship — are not affected by these restrictions. The legislature deliberately distinguished long-term integration into Comorian society from temporary commercial presence on the islands.

## Protecting the local economic fabric

The government frames this reform as «an instrument to protect the local economic fabric» against foreign competition deemed destabilising for the most vulnerable small traders. The informal economy is a vital source of income for many Comorian households, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.

This approach mirrors a broader trend across several African states: faced with post-pandemic economic pressures, governments are reserving specific niches for nationals to safeguard working-class incomes and reinforce social cohesion.

## Why this matters

For regional operators — particularly those from Mauritius, Réunion or Madagascar active in Comoros — this law redraws the rules of engagement. It also signals a political determination to reshape the archipelago's economic sovereignty through legislation rather than market regulation alone. In the same period the Comoros signed the EU EPA+ opening its economy internationally, this domestic law illustrates the complex balance between global openness and national protection that every regional strategy must now factor in.