Fuel Overview

Hydrocarbons are managed by the Société Comorienne des Hydrocarbures (SCH), a state-owned company established by Law No. 80-27 of January 1980. The SCH is under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and the Budget. Its purpose is to import, store and distribute petroleum products in the Comoros. It is one of the few government corporations that makes a subsequent contribution to the tax budget (including the single tax) and service revenues. 

The company imports the various hydrocarbon products already processed and delivers them to two storage sites located in Moroni and Mutsamudu. Storage capacity is around 2 months of consumption and deliveries are made every 45 days.  The fuel is then sold to private companies, usually there are as many stations as owners.

The number of stations on the archipelago is:

- 21 in Grande Comore

- 22 in Anjouan

- 04 in Mohéli

During the last decade, there had been some shortages, but they are quite rare and usually do not last more than two weeks.

For more information on government and fuel provider contact details, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.7 Fuel Providers Contact List.

Information may also be found at: http://www.mytravelcost.com/petrol-prices/ which is updated monthly. 

Fuel Pricing

Fuel tariffs are set by the government. Despite the rise in import costs, the price has remained fixed since 2016.

Seasonal Variations 

Comoros has never experienced seasonal variations.

Fuel Transportation

The refuelling is done approximately every 45 days. The oil tanker that supplies the Comoros discharge 60% in Moroni and 40% in Mutsamudu. Mohéli is then supplied from one of the two main depots with a 300,000 MT tanker belonging to the government. When this boat is out of order or maintenance, the Comorian Hydrocarbon Company has to charter a boat in a neighbouring country that can create delivery delays.

Fuel outflows from depots can be made free of charge by SCH trucks, but with limited numbers, most of the resellers have their own fleet to refuel their service stations.

The transport of Jet A1 from the main depots to the airport depots is done with SCH trucks dedicated to this specific supply.

Storage capacities

Standards, Quality and Testing

The SCH has its own quality testing laboratory. The different hydrocarbons are tested with each new delivery. The standards applied for storage is transportation standards are ASTM (American Society for International Technical Materials), an official certificate is established at each output of hydrocarbon deposits.

The oil stations selling retail fuel are very rarely controlled and there have been allegations of cutting fuel with water to increase their profits.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Like other logistics services in Comoros, the road transport sector is underdeveloped. Except for a few companies that have fleets ranging from 3 to 9 vehicles, in general trucks belong to individuals who are both owners and drivers. Prices are negotiated according to distance and number of rotations. Most of these trucks do not exceed 10 MT.

For practical and administrative reasons, the humanitarian organizations in Comoros use to work with  freight forwarders to find, contract, and make trucks available according to the requested criteria.

Most of the trucks available are aging and lack maintenance, moreover no technical control is necessary to register vehicles in the Comoros. It is important to get around and check the condition of trucks when contracting a vehicle for the first time.

For more information on transport company contact details, please see the following link: 4.8 Transporter Contact List.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Although it is very difficult to obtain official figures, unemployment remains one of the major problems in Comoros, especially for youth. The minimum wage of about 50,000 KMF per month but few people agree to work for that price. This is often due to the phenomenon of the diaspora living in France who sends money regularly to their family remained in the country.

Informal work is an important part of the country's economy, particularly in the construction and public works sector. Daily workers are available in large quantities for all types of work, from simple labour to skilled workers.

Hury (formerly Comores Télécoms), in which the government is still the majority shareholder, and Telma (Telecom Madagascar) share the telecommunications market in the Comoros. Telma has a slightly wider network coverage and offers a better quality of internet connection, while Hury is significantly cheaper and more widespread in terms of subscription.

Buying SIM cards can be done in the official shops of both companies after showing an ID card or a passport, while many informal retailers sell credit refills.

The state institution that regulates and regulates telecoms is the ANRTIC (National Authority for Regulation of Information Technologies and Communications), under the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications. One of its main functions is the protection of consumers and the arbitration of possible disputes between companies.

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.10 Additional Services Contact List. 

Telecommunications Regulations

At the moment, the importation of non-commercial telecommunication equipment does not require any special authorization or tax. The frequency delivery is done with the ANRTIC.

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

The United Nations has a VHF telecommunication system in place under the responsibility of UNDSS. This system covers a large part of the island of Grande Comore and can reach Mohéli and Anjouan thanks to a system of repeaters.

Despite the availability of this communication network, no application has been officially adopted as a common United Nations security tool in Comoros.  As an example, there is no vehicle tracking system.

There is currently no SOC / UNDSS radio room in the Comoros. A radio base is installed at the UNDSS office in Moroni and can be used when needed.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Comoros has recently been connected to the Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy) cable, which guarantees increased security for high-speed Internet and communications in the region up to 4 terabytes of bandwidth. The connection and redistribution of bandwidth is managed and redistributed to ISPs by a government company called Comoros Cable.

The internet connection is therefore of good quality, and the two operators Telma and Hury offer individual packages or companies that can be customized on demand.

Fibre optic or ADSL connection is only possible in provincial capitals. Secondary cities must be content with 4G or 3G depending on the location.

The use of VSAT is not common in the Comoros, they are mostly used by UN agencies or by some embassies for security reasons and to communicate with their headquarters with secure connections. There is no company offering this service in Comoros, the VSAT must be ordered and contracted from a foreign country or directly on their website.

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)

Mobile services are generally good in Comoros. The arrival of competition with Telma has boosted the market and new services such as mobile banking and money transfer service have developed. Projects allow the direct payment to sellers of certain brands and the payment of certain bills such as water, electricity, etc ... should be available shortly.

Each of the two operators has its own pylons, after hurricane Kenneth, the mobile networks were restored and operational within 24 hours in the most affected areas and most of the services had not bothered at all.

For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website.

The country has very weak productive capacities marked by a non-existent industrial sector and a very inefficient agricultural sector. In fact, the local market is very little diversified and the Comorians are dependent on imports on almost all the products consumed.

According to the World Bank, In 2017, Comoros exported $74 million and imported $295 million, resulting in a negative trade balance of USD 221 million.

The few companies that control the import sector are not specialized in a particular field, they import food as well as equipment or general goods. The fact that the ports cannot accommodate large vessels and the virtual absence of private logistics service makes it very difficult to intensify the supply if the demand increases. All these factors combine to make food and commodity prices expensive compared to prices in neighbouring countries, and the Comorians to be food insecure and vulnerable.

To reduce the risk of inflation and famine, the state set up its own company in 1982, with the National Office for the Importation and Marketing of Rice (ONICOR) having a monopoly on the import and marketing of “ordinary” rice. Its mission is to control the stock to avoid shortages and order good quality rice that can be marketed at a price set by the state and bearable to consumers. Once imported, ONICOR rice is on the market in most shops at a fixed rate of KMF 400 / kg.

Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a general overview of country data related to the service and supply sectors, please consult the following sources:

The Observatory of Economic Complexity – MIT (OEC): https://oec.world/en/profile/country/com/.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.