• Project targets rail, ports, airports to improve connectivity

• Aims to ease logistics, benefit 3.8 million people

The World Bank announced on Tuesday, April 28, $200 million in financing to modernize Madagascar’s transport infrastructure as part of the “Madagascar Multimodal Transport and Logistics Project.”

The project will rehabilitate and upgrade major sections of the 371-kilometer Antananarivo–East Coast railway line, which connects the capital to the country’s main port. It also includes the construction of a rail-road dry port and a logistics platform near Antananarivo to reduce port congestion and improve goods movement between the coast and the capital.

The project will also target the maritime sector, with upgrades to the ports of Majunga, in the northwest, and Tulear, in the southwest, including docks, access roads and key facilities.

The aviation sector is also included, with funding for safety and climate resilience improvements at the regional airports of Toamasina, Fort Dauphin and Tulear, supporting domestic connectivity.

About 3.8 million people are expected to benefit, gaining access to more efficient freight services, reduced congestion, better market access and restored canal navigation.

“Improving transport is a national priority for Madagascar. Weak connectivity remains a major constraint to jobs and economic growth, and this project will help unlock opportunities, strengthen social cohesion, and reduce the isolation of communities across the country,” said Hery Ramiarison, Madagascar’s minister of economy and finance.

Transport infrastructure is a key pillar of Madagascar’s economy, supporting domestic trade, food supply chains, tourism and exports. However, the country’s road network remains among the least developed in the world, according to the World Bank.

Most roads are unpaved and in poor condition. Years of underinvestment and repeated cyclones have weakened key transport corridors, leaving them vulnerable to disruption.

The project aims to improve the efficiency, safety and climate resilience of transport and logistics infrastructure along the country’s main economic corridors.

Lydie Mobio