The African Development Funds board of directors in Abidjan have approved US$21.6mn in grants for the third phase of the National Road Network Rehabilitation Programme in the Union of Comoros
The grants comprise US$14.1mn from the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and US$7.5mn from the Transition Support Facility, a special purpose entity within the bank that provides funding complementary to its other instruments. The project’s third phase will focus on improving the RN2 (Ourovéni-Foumbouni) in Grand Comores, the main island, the RN21 (Domoni-Mrémani) roadway on Anjouan island and Mwali’s RN32 (Wallah-Nioumachoua) roadways. All three are located in areas with substantial economic and tourist potential.
"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," said Pamphile Codo, the program team leader.
Currently, the RN2 section provides the only access route to the beaches of Ourovéni and Malé. The RN21 serves many villages of the island of Grand Comores, and connects to several regional roads. 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 for onward shipment by boat to the other two islands that makes up Comoros.
As of February 2022, the AfDB Group has four active operations in its Comoros portfolio, with a total commitment of US$85mn.
