Indian Ocean countries are seeking solutions to facilitate trade and overcome the challenges linked to their insularity. A meeting between members of Cap Business was organized to discuss ways to resolve common problems related to interconnections between these countries.
A conference-debate on maritime connectivity of the Indian Ocean countries, yesterday Thursday, November 9, was held in person and virtually. It was hosted by the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (Uccia) and brought together the members of Cap Business, the Union of Chambers of the Indian Ocean. The meeting took place in the presence of members of Opaco (Comoros Employers’ Organization), maritime transport officials, carriers, and other participants.
This conference-debate, entitled “Indian Ocean Resilience”, was the fourth of its kind, organized in turn by the member countries of Cap Business Indian Ocean.
The main objective of this meeting was to collectively reflect on ways to resolve common problems, in particular the difficulties linked to interconnections between the member countries of Cap Business, according to the president of Uccia.
Chamsoudine Ahmed explained that insularity is one of the main challenges shared by Indian Ocean countries when it comes to transporting goods, since everything has to pass by boats or planes, unlike other regions. of the world.
Solve common problems
Participants had the opportunity to present their projects aimed at reducing these difficulties. The Comorian inter-island connectivity project, financed to the tune of $105 million by several banks, including the World Bank, was presented to members of Cap Business. Project coordinator Mohamed M’madi previously announced the start of work in the first quarter of 2023, with an expected completion date in 2028.
The president of the new Opaco, Hamidou Mhoma, highlighted the challenges of trade between Indian Ocean countries, highlighting the need for collaboration to strengthen overseas supply capacities and improve quality ports in order to better cope with fluctuations in global prices.
