Comoros

Comoros is an archipelago situated in the Indian Ocean that lies off the coast of East Africa and consists of the four islands Mayotte, Anjouan, Moheli, and Grande; however, Mayotte is administered by France after voting against independence in 1974. Comoros has an agricultural sector that accounts for 47.7% of GDP and is heavily reliant on the export of cloves, vanilla, and ylang-ylang (perfume essence), but also produces other agricultural and fisheries products that include coconuts, cassava, and fish. Fisheries in Comoros are primarily small scale but have the potential to expand, which the government is attempting to accomplish by improving the sustainable use of local fish stocks through collaboration with international partners. Comoros has an industrial sector that contributes 11.8% to GDP and includes a manufacturing industry that processes agricultural products and distillates perfume as well as plans for the development of an offshore mining industry.

The service sector of Comoros is responsible for generating 40.5% of GDP and includes government services and a recently expanded telecommunications industry. Also, in the service sector of Comoros is a growing tourism industry that saw 35,900 visitor arrivals in 2018. Outside of local services, a portion of the economy of Comoros is based on remittances sent by approximately 300,000 Comorians working internationally.

Comoros has a growing startup community that has supports available to assist the growth of small enterprises, such as an accelerator as well as funding support for startups in the technology sector through a program administered by the Government of Comoros in partnership with the World Bank. Currently, startups in Comoros are largely focused in the technology sector but are also engaged in financial services. In the future, collaboration with startups is possible in climate change mitigation and adaptation, as Comoros must deal with a variety of climate change related impacts that have affected the agriculturally focused economy. For example, Tropical Cyclone Kenneth caused widespread flooding across the island nation in 2019 that severely damaged approximately 80% of Comorian farms and 60% of cropland.