The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved $21.6 million in grants for the third phase of the National Road Network Rehabilitation Programme in Comoros.

The grants, according to the bank, comprise $14.1 million from the African Development Fund and $7.5 million from the Transition Support Facility.

It is understood that the project’s third phase is designed to improve the Ourovéni-Foumbouni (RN2) road in Grand Comores, the main island.

AfDB, in a statement, said the rehabilitation of the three main roads in the country will provide many opportunities for the agricultural sector and tourism.

‘These road improvements will increase access to inland regions of the country and promote economic growth that is hindered by the deplorable nature of the country’s transport infrastructure’, the programme team leader, Pamphile Codo, said in the statement.

Currently, the RN2 section provides the only access route to the beaches of Ourovéni and Malé, which are patronised by visitors, including tourists from all over the world.

In 2019, travel and tourism contributed 9.9 percent to the Island nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), data from Knoema shows. World Bank projections also show that the tourism and telecommunications sectors are expected to drive economic activities in years to come.

The RN21 also serves many villages on the island of Grand Comoros, and connects to several regional roads, while the RN32 traverses the most fertile region from where the largest share of the country’s agricultural produce is transported to the small port of Howani.

Data from Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A) shows that the Comorian economy is based mainly on agriculture, which accounted for 36 percent of GDP in 2017 and employed about 80 percent of the active population.

The completion of the National Road Network Rehabilitation Programme is expected to boost Comorian tourism and agricultural sectors.

Source: AfDB

Photo source: AfDB