Competitiveness and quality of Comorian products: a crucial debate for the country’s economic future

A conference-debate organized by the APILE-UNIDO project and entitled “Issues, challenges and measures to increase the quality and competitiveness of Comorian cosmetics and agri-food companies and products on national and international markets” took place on May 13.

The event brought together various key players in the country’s economic development, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between private sector players and stimulating the economic transformation of the Comoros. The conference served as a platform for discussing the obstacles facing local companies, particularly in the cosmetics and agri-food sectors, and proposing concrete solutions to improve their competitiveness on national, regional and international markets.

Discussions revealed a number of challenges, including the difficulty of complying with quality and safety standards, and the consequent restricted access to international markets, not to mention the financial constraints that hamper the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These issues, shared by many local companies, underline the need to adopt effective strategies to ensure sustainable growth in the private sector.

Among the solutions proposed, improving companies’ technical skills and quality certification were central to the discussions, as was the need to set up targeted financing programs for SMEs to support their expansion. This type of support, combined with technical coaching, would better equip local companies to face international competition, while at the same time creating sustainable jobs.

The open dialogue between stakeholders marked an important step towards better coordination of efforts to tackle the structural challenges facing the Comorian private sector. By facilitating dialogue and proposing concrete measures, this conference-debate showed that sustainable and inclusive development is within reach for the Comoros, provided we continue along this path of cooperation and innovation.