The Comoros maritime corridor project, backed by the African Development Bank to the tune of $137 million and co-financed by five other institutions for a total of $247 million, was officially launched on October 27, 2025 in Moroni. The project aims to modernise the archipelago's port infrastructure and create a special economic zone to leverage its position in the Mozambique Channel.
An Unprecedented Multilateral Financing for Comoros
The financing structure is particularly robust: $135 million from the African Development Fund (ADF) as a grant, $2 million from the Transition Support Fund, and an additional $110 million mobilised from five institutions: the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union and the European Investment Bank. For a least-developed country, mobilising $247 million in a single project is a remarkable achievement.
A Special Economic Zone in the Mozambique Channel
Beyond port equipment upgrades, the project includes the creation of a special economic zone to capitalise on Comoros' strategic position in the Mozambique Channel. The goal is to transform the archipelago into a regional logistics hub, developing local agricultural and fisheries value chains for export. Thousands of jobs are expected, with priority given to women and young people.
Why It Matters
Comoros suffers from chronic isolation between its islands and from the regional market. High transport costs weigh on the competitiveness of all sectors — from vanilla and ylang-ylang to fisheries. A better-connected archipelago with modern ports and a free zone can attract foreign investors and diversify an economy currently heavily dependent on diaspora remittances. This project has the potential to be structurally transformative for the coming decade.
Sources: African Development Bank, Africa Newsroom — October 2025 / August 2026.