• Madagascar launches digital job training under Skills4Job program

• 51 trainees begin in Toamasina; nationwide rollout planned

• Part of strategy to boost digital skills, cut youth unemployment

The Malagasy government on Thursday, October 2, 2025, launched the first intake of its Skills4Job program, an initiative to equip young people with digital skills for the job market.

The program began with 51 participants in the port city of Toamasina and will gradually expand nationwide. Stéphanie Delmotte, Minister of Digital Development, Posts and Telecommunications, said the free training is designed to help participants acquire the skills needed to meet the challenges of a digital future.

The initiative forms part of Madagascar’s Five-Year Digital Strategy (2023-2028), which aims to position the country as a key player in Africa’s digital economy through stronger telecommunications, e-governance, and digital inclusion. The World Bank estimates that by 2030, about 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills.

In September, Marie Marcelline Rasoloarisoa, Minister of Technical Education and Vocational Training, announced plans to train 40,000 people in digital skills by 2028. Earlier, in February 2024, Madagascar signed a partnership with the United Arab Emirates to train one million young people in new technologies.

Youth unemployment remains high. According to Afrobarometer, more than four in ten Malagasy aged 18-35 said they were unemployed and looking for work in 2024. The main barriers cited were inadequate training (30%), lack of experience (27%), and a mismatch between education and labor market needs (16%).

Isaac K. Kassouwi