Mayotte

Mayotte lags far behind in meeting the needs of a rapidly-growing population that has doubled in the past twenty years. Access to essential services is marked by inequality in multiple areas. A third of homes lack running water, social services and healthcare are under-equipped, and public transport is insufficient, leading to ghettoization and social and professional exclusion, especially among women.

AFD is working to structure the technical aspects of infrastructure projects and to support local authorities' capital investment policies in water and sanitation, transportation, waste collection and processing and access to culture, sports and digital technology.

AFD also assists in reinforcing healthcare services, such as at Mayotte hospital and other, multidisciplinary medical centers, and in developing the medico-social sector to support people with disabilities and those in need of care.

The young population – nearly 50% of the population is under 18 – means the island faces considerable needs in education, whether in terms of infrastructure, equipment or adjustments to teaching.

While Mayotte has had a fully functioning education authority since 2020, schooling remains a notable issue in a department where 37% of primary-level classes operate on a rotating basis and less than 60% of three-year-olds are enrolled in preschool. Expanding higher and professional education in Mayotte is also essential to improving access to jobs.

To tackle these problems, AFD funds and supports local authorities in defining, steering and financing programs to build and update education infrastructure. The Agency's Overseas Fund and partnerships with government services have helped to provide 1.5 million euros in project management support to boost and speed up multiple school building and renovation projects.

With its reef-lagoon complex of nearly 1,500 km², Mayotte has a living heritage that is unique in the world. The mangroves, wetlands and forests are home to over 1,000 species of plant and 140 species of bird. However, these ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to pressure from human activity, such as land take and environmental pollution.

Economic development should be encouraged in a responsible way, with special attention paid to projects' positive and negative externalities. AFD is encouraging the development of eco-responsible tourism and local and sustainable agriculture, along with processing and distribution channels that encourage formal employment, particularly for women.

AFD is also supporting associations' and public partners' initiatives to raise awareness and help protect the environment. 

Although Mayotte shares a strong social, cultural, linguistic and historical heritage with the Comoros archipelago, the regional context of the island is specific by its great economic and cultural diversity (Reunion, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania). In this environment of contrasts, regional synergies remain underexploited.

As part of its Mayotte 2022-2026 strategy, AFD is specifically encouraging initiatives to increase economic, environmental and healthcare synergies between Mayotte and other countries and territories in the southwest Indian Ocean. It is financing cooperative initiatives designed to harness complementarities between regions and encourage environmentally responsible production and export sectors while promoting biodiversity, notably by working with civil society organizations.