1. What are your strategic priorities for accelerating Madagascar’s digital transformation?
As you’ve said, Madagascar is building very strong bonds with the UAE, and I personally look at the UAE as an incredible example. Its big success stories in digital transformation could bring valuable lessons for our own country.
Our strategy in Madagascar is quite clear. We cannot build any dream, any vision for development, without infrastructure. Right now, we only have about 1.5 million taxpayers for a population of 31 million. That’s a very small base to support our development ambitions, so unfortunately, we depend heavily on borrowing from international development agencies.
There are three key pillars in our digital development strategy.
First, we must expand our telecommunications network. Currently, coverage reaches only around 60% of the country, so there’s still 40% of remote areas left to connect.
Second, we need to build data centers. Right now, there’s too much of what I call the “dark economy.” We barely know the true human resources and talent available in the country, and too many financial transactions happen “under the table.” To attract foreign direct investment and make sound decisions, we urgently need accurate, reliable data, for feasibility studies and to guide government priorities.
The third pillar is leadership. It’s not enough to have good ideas; it’s about behavior and action. We want to create an environment where our local talents can truly blossom under the guidance of strong leaders, people who set the right example and can be trusted. For us, technology will be a powerful enabler of trust, and it will be the accelerator of true digital inclusion.
To be more precise, we are digitalizing fundamental public services like civil registry, health, education, and agriculture. For example, our ministry recently completed a pilot project in the health sector, digitalizing the processes and patient records of two major hospitals in the capital. Thanks to the success of that pilot, we’re now planning to gradually roll it out nationwide, sometimes with help from international development agencies but also using our own resources wherever possible.
Also, I’d like to mention that I’m the first woman ever to lead this ministry, after 16 male ministers before me. I’m proud to continue the legacy of those who came before me, but I’m equally determined to bring innovation to the way we execute projects.
I want to emphasize that we follow best practices in project management. We respect change management frameworks like ITIL and the Project Management Institute’s standards. And we never hesitate to bring in top consultants if it helps us move faster, because time is money. Sometimes you can afford to learn through trial and error, but sometimes you simply don’t have that luxury.
For us, building international relationships and combining expertise from brilliant minds around the world is what will propel our results.
2. How is the government working to expand universal internet access, especially in rural areas?
Right now, there’s a major project called DECIM, financed by the World Bank for $375 million. It has two core ambitions: expanding access to electricity and improving digital connectivity across much of Madagascar.
As I mentioned, only about 60% of the country has network coverage, and when it comes to electricity, we barely reach 20% of the population. So the challenges are enormous.
One of the key activities we’re working on is connecting remote areas with a dedicated budget of $55 million. Just before coming to this interview, I was launching that initiative alongside our partners. We’ll use subsidies to encourage private-sector investment in building infrastructure, whether that’s telecom towers, fiber optic cables, or network expansion in those underserved regions.
Secondly, we have what’s called a Universal Service Fund. A portion of telecom operators’ revenues, about 2%, is dedicated to financing technology projects driven by the government. That fund also supports expanding network coverage.
For example, we’re piloting a new, lower-cost technology designed specifically for rural areas. Instead of classic towers that cost around €120,000, these new pylons cost around €60,000 each. We’re running this pilot with Huawei, building 73 rural pylons in the Menabe region, famous for the Baobab Alley.
Beyond infrastructure, we’re also distributing around 664,000 digital devices to the population to help speed up technology adoption, especially in rural areas. A significant portion of these devices will go to women. We know there’s still a gender gap, many women don’t have access to personal budgets and therefore can’t afford such devices. Closing that gap is one of our priorities.
Lastly, we’re focusing on improving public services in local communities. Madagascar has about 20,000 “fokontany,” which are administrative areas roughly equivalent to neighborhoods or small towns. We plan to equip each fokontany with both connectivity and robust smartphones preloaded with seven or eight specialized applications. This will help local leaders manage their communities, communicate quickly with central authorities, and resolve issues in real-time.
Historically, delays in information flowing from remote areas have made it impossible to properly address local needs. We believe it’s time for those communities to be digitally connected and empowered.
3. You’ve mentioned digital transformation broadly, but could you share more details on the major infrastructure projects underway to modernize Madagascar’s digital ecosystem?
The first project that comes to mind is digital identity.
We started this initiative in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Despite the challenges, we knew it was time to begin. A unique digital identity is crucial for dismantling the shadow economy and building trust between government and citizens. Once citizens have a unique digital ID, it becomes much easier to understand their needs, connect them to essential services, and build accurate, reliable data.
We plan to begin enrolling the population in August. The tenders have already been awarded. Each person’s biometric data will be linked to their biographic data, and at the end of the process, citizens will receive a secure digital identity card containing detailed information.
We’re also training civil servants to handle these new systems and ensure the infrastructure needed to produce these identity cards is fully operational.
Importantly, once we have this unique digital identity in place, we’ll be able to layer additional sector-specific data on top of it, for example, banking details, health records, education histories. That will help us provide better, more personalized public services while maintaining security and privacy protections.
4. How is Madagascar addressing data protection and cyber security challenges in this digital age?
At the same time we launched the digital identity initiative, we also established structures to build trust regarding data protection and cybersecurity.
We now have the CMIL, the Commission Malagasy des Informations et des Libertés, dedicated to overseeing personal data protection. It’s designed to meet international standards, similar to France’s GDPR framework, and aligns with agreements like the Malabo Convention, which we signed in July 2023.
Importantly, the CMIL doesn’t just monitor data issues, it also has the authority to enforce rules and impose penalties when necessary.
On cybersecurity, we’ve enacted laws to create an official national body to protect Madagascar’s data infrastructure against cybercrime. It’s called the CIRT (Computer Incident Response Team). This year, our Ministry will be piloting this activity to ensure we’re prepared to counter cyber threats.
5. How is the Ministry supporting Madagascar’s local startup ecosystem and nurturing digital talent?
We have two main approaches for supporting startups.
The first is through a project called “Pour l’intégrer de Croissance,” or PIK3, funded by the World Bank. This program recently supported 43 digital startups, each receiving about $15,000 in subsidies to help launch their operations. Beyond the funding, these startups also benefited from mentorship, coaching, and training. We selected top organizations like Zaftoudi, Orange Digital Centre, and Nexta from Yass to provide that support because they understand both the technology and the local business environment.
Our second approach is creating Digital Centers in each of Madagascar’s six provinces. These centers are financed entirely by the Ministry’s budget.
Each center has two distinct functions. One part of the facility focuses on technical training—whether for digital skills needed in broader industries or purely for tech-sector careers. The other part is dedicated to startups. It offers labs for testing new innovations, incubation spaces to help young entrepreneurs build management and business skills, and co-working areas where startups can operate temporarily before establishing their own offices.
We already have our first center open in Ivato, though we still need to renovate parts of it. We’re also building a brand-new facility in Tamatave, close to the port, which we believe is an excellent strategic location. Construction is set to begin this summer.
So ultimately, we’ll have Digital Centers in Antananarivo, Tamatave, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Diego Suarez, and another location we’re still finalizing.
6. What kinds of international partnerships are you seeking to help boost connectivity and innovation?
First, we’re looking for partners who can help us with data storage. It’s simply not feasible for our government to suddenly build a $20 million data center on our own. So we’re exploring trusted cloud solutions for storing government data securely.
Second, we urgently need to lower data costs for our citizens. Mobile data is the main way people in Madagascar access the internet, but it’s far too expensive for the average person. We’re hoping to attract more players into the market to improve affordability.
Third, we need international expertise to help structure our digital transition. Right now, so much of our economic activity happens informally, people buy and sell on Facebook, but it’s often outside any official framework, with no consumer protection or standards. We urgently need to “Uberize” this economy in a way that brings it into the formal sector while protecting consumers’ rights.
The Malagasy people are eager to participate in the digital economy, but we have a lot of work to do to support them and ensure this transition is safe, organized, and beneficial for everyone.
7. How do postal services fit into Madagascar’s broader digital development strategy?
Right now, we’re working hard to digitalize the processes and operations of our postal service. It’s time to modernize how we offer these services and reduce the risks associated with handling large amounts of cash.
Few people realize this, but our postal service manages savings for around 600,000 households across Madagascar. We also provide mobile money services. Because these processes are still largely manual, there’s a high risk of errors, or worse, theft, since we rely heavily on individuals to record transactions accurately.
So we’re moving quickly to digitalize all procedures involving cash handling. Additionally, we created the “Poste de Finance” a few years ago, a postal bank that offers microloans at rates far cheaper than traditional banks. This is particularly important because rural populations often distrust conventional banks due to high fees and poor service.
Our goal is to bring financial services to communities that have been largely forgotten.
On the logistics side, we continue to handle parcel and letter deliveries and are expanding our infrastructure. We have 255 postal agencies across Madagascar, and we’re rethinking their roles so that they offer far more than basic postal services.
8. How would you like to strengthen partnerships with the UAE and other Gulf countries in the digital and telecoms sectors?
In my view, we should capitalize on the UAE’s incredible speed and success in digitalizing public services. When a country’s leadership truly believes in technology, it shows up in government budgets and priorities.
I sincerely hope our own leaders in Madagascar will be as committed as those in the UAE to making technology a central pillar of development. It’s critical to understand that even the poorest populations deserve access to technology, but the truth is, technology remains expensive.
The big question is how private investors can secure a reasonable return on investment in such projects, and how government can ensure long-term stability for those investments. Political agendas are often short-term, but digital infrastructure requires a long-term vision.
I’m determined to change the mindset within our government: infrastructure today must include digital infrastructure. Yes, we still need roads and airports, but they must go hand-in-hand with the digital tools that make modern governance possible.
9. Before we wrap up, in what ways do you believe digital development can enhance Madagascar’s attractiveness to foreign investors?
As I’ve said, technology enables trust because it’s based on clear, accurate data. Investors need reliable information when conducting feasibility studies before committing their money.
My message to future investors is this: Madagascar is so much more than its stunning landscapes, lemurs, and unique natural resources. It’s a country full of hope and energy, driven by a young, open-minded population whose eyes are fixed on the world through the window of the internet.
Our people are waiting for the right partners, companies or leaders who will believe in their potential and invest in their skills. Madagascar’s markets are still largely untouched by competition, and our population is doubling every 15 years, which means demand is set to grow rapidly.
Plus, our country occupies a strategic geopolitical position between Africa and Asia, right along vital maritime routes.
I believe Madagascar is a new El Dorado for investment. Like the early days of artificial intelligence, many people doubted its potential, but today, AI is transforming our work in extraordinary ways. Those willing to take the risk and invest early in Madagascar will be the ones who benefit the most.
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