ITP Success case - The Comoros

From limited awareness to institutional readiness

By introducing MSP within the national research institute INRAPE, a shared understanding began to form across departments. This is helping prepare the institution to support the country’s emerging blue economy governance.

“I was motivated by the desire to bridge the gap between political ambition and our institution’s ability to make it a reality, and to contribute to protecting our ocean for future generations.”

Weak internal readiness for marine spatial planning

As the Union of the Comoros moves toward establishing a Blue Economy Department, MSP is becoming an important tool for sustainable ocean management. The national research institute INRAPE is expected to play a key supporting role. However, MSP was not yet understood internally as a shared approach, limiting the institute’s readiness to contribute strategically. Knowledge of MSP within INRAPE varied widely and was largely unfamiliar to staff.

Departments worked within their own mandates, and marine management was not seen as a cross-cutting issue. To support national ocean governance, the institute first needed a common understanding of why MSP matters and how each department contributes to it. The challenge was therefore not technical but organisational.

Building a shared understanding before building systems

The change project aimed to initiate a shift in mindset and collaboration within the institute. Rather than introducing new policies or tools, the focus was to build a common knowledge base and internal support.

From individual initiatives to institutional topics

Interdepartmental awareness sessions were held with staff from fisheries, environment and agriculture departments. This was one of the first times they jointly discussed a cross-cutting marine management issue, creating dialogue and improving understanding of shared challenges and interdependencies. Using knowledge from the ITP MSP programme, a context-adapted MSP presentation was developed giving the institute its first shared communication tool on the subject. A common vocabulary began to emerge. Staff started using terms such as ecosystem approach, stakeholders and use conflicts, improving mutual understanding. Interested colleagues were identified across departments, forming an informal internal network to continue promoting the topic. Management attention increased, and MSP was raised during a strategic planning discussion, shifting it from an individual initiative to an institutional concern.

Conditions that enabled the change

Motivated internal leadership

The change was enabled by strong individual initiative within INRAPE.

Structured cross-departmental dialogue

Targeted discussions built a shared understanding of how MSP relates to different departmental mandates.

Early management engagement

Follow-up and briefing of senior management elevated MSP to a strategically relevant institutional issue.

Continuing the institutional learning process

Next steps include establishing an interdepartmental working group and engaging external partners to build on the initial results. These efforts aim to enable INRAPE to actively support national MSP and contribute to the development of the blue economy in the Comoros.