• Government partners with Yas to deploy campus Wi-Fi hotspots
• Rollout starts in Antananarivo and Tuléar before expanding nationwide
• Project aligns with digital higher education strategy

The Malagasy government on Wednesday, December 17, signed a partnership agreement with telecommunications operator Yas to deploy Wi-Fi access points for students across public universities. The initiative is part of broader efforts to digitize higher education in the country.

According to Yas, the rollout will begin in Antananarivo and Tuléar, before extending to Fianarantsoa, Diego, and Majunga, and potentially to other universities nationwide. The operator said connectivity has become an essential tool for learning and research.

The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) at all levels of education is a core priority of Madagascar’s Digital Strategic Plan (PSN 2023–2028). The government aims to promote inclusive education aligned with current standards and needs by expanding the use of ICT in teaching. The strategy includes digitizing learning materials, adapting teaching methods, and digitalizing the student journey, while enhancing skills recognition and security and establishing a training-to-employment framework to improve student guidance.

In July, a conference organized by the UNDP and the World Bank addressed the digitalization of higher education and its impact. Rivoarison Randrianasolo, president of the University of Antananarivo, said digital tools are a key driver of transformation, with the potential to improve teaching quality, widen access to knowledge, and better prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

Miarintsoa Neilla Andrianasolo, a member of the university’s digitalization committee, said digital technologies not only expand access to educational and scientific resources, but also help promote research, modernize administrative services, and strengthen students’ skills for labor market integration.

Participants nevertheless pointed to persistent structural constraints, including limited connectivity, inadequate equipment, institutional fragmentation, and unequal access. They stressed the need for clear strategies, detailed implementation plans, robust monitoring and evaluation, and strong commitment at all levels, as well as closer cooperation among stakeholders and effective inclusion.

Isaac K. Kassouwi