Mikama - Sep 19, 2018

Prof Martin Rupiya in The East African
But while the jostling for presidency steals the limelight, my paper, which uses intelligence data including Wikileaks, reveals the underlying dominant French and military interests in Madagascar, whose influence remains unchanged since the coup. Madagascar is a former French colony and France has always been willing to go the extra mile when it comes to retaining control or asserting influence over it. This includes foreign policy, economic policy and minerals, culture and defence and security. France had designated the country's capital, Antananarivo, as one of eight key centres for investment — on par with Berlin, Rabat, London, Rome, Washington, Dakar and Madrid. It has made major investments in the airport and the only deep-sea harbour capable of taking in submarine vessels. French citizens have also been encouraged to invest, leading to over 140 major monopoly cartels and more than 5,000 small- to medium-scale businesses. With all these interests to nurture, France's power extends to the country's politics. It had a role to play in the coup that Marc Ravalomanana's government in 2009, because he was trying to break France's grip on the country. (..) Diplomatic cables indicate that it was around this time that France's Africa presidential advisor decided to back Andry Rajoelina — the mayor of Antananarivo and a popular opposition figure. When he was threatened with arrest by the government, he was given refuge in the French embassy from where he continued to issue calls for Ravalomanana's removal from office. Rajoelina's position, supported by the French government, brought people onto the streets in protests. The armed forces responded with live fire. The deaths of civilians were the final straw for some of the military, who were already on the verge of mutiny. As read in another cable sent to the US embassy, senior generals ordered Ravalomanana, at gun point, to hand over power. He then fled to South Africa.

Professor Martin R Rupiya dans Mail & Guardian
There are at least two underlying dimensions to the political stability and presidency of Madagascar whose congruence, if absent, results in the chaos that has been characteristic of political succession on the island in the past. The first dimension is that, based on the stated and existing French interests, the president of Madagascar serves at the pleasure of Paris. History and empirical evidence has demonstrated this to be the case. To this end, Madagascar is an important satellite centre for Francophone policy and includes control of the neighbouring islands of Mayotte and Réunion. As a consequence, Paris has designated Antananarivo as one of eight key centres for investment. The others include Berlin, Rabat, London, Rome, Washington, Dakar and Madrid. There is a large French population, numbering more than 25 000 citizens, spread throughout the three islands. Paris has also created a French triangular security umbrella, which includes a deep sea-harbour capable of taking in submarine vessels and an aviation runway alongside the Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo (..) The military is the second pillar in securing the presidency in Madagascar. In the contemporary era, working with highly confidential, diplomatic cables that became available to the public in November 2010 through Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks, the uncompromising French position was clear until proxies amenable to their interests were restored in office. The local French residents mounted a spirited and successful “Anyone but Ravalomanana” campaign.

Mikama - Sep 18, 2018

R.Edmond dans Midi Madagasikara

Et la réalisation des aéroports d’Ivato et de Nosy-Be constitue justement un exemple de réussite de PPP. Les travaux sont financés à hauteur de 30% par l’Etat et de 70% par des banques privées, dont la Société Financière Internationale. Ravinala Airports, le concessionnaire de ces deux aéroports, fait preuve d’efficacité dans la réalisation des travaux qui profitent par ailleurs à l’ensemble du secteur aérien. En effet, Ravinala Airports reverse 3 millions d’euros annuellement sur les redevances aéroportuaires à l’ADEMA, qui peut ainsi financer la réhabilitation des autres aéroports.

Harilalaina Rakotobe  dans L'Express de Madagascar

Malgré une place importante dans l’économie du pays, le secteur agricole a tout de même besoin d’améliorer ses chiffres. Un concours d’application est initié en ce sens. Employant près de 80% de la population et contribuant seulement à hauteur de 30% du produit intérieur brut du pays, le secteur agricole ne demande qu’à être mieux exploité pour performer ses statistiques. (..) D’un autre côté, le secteur agricole commence à attirer de plus en plus les jeunes entrepreneurs, à l’image des participants aux derniers rendez-vous « startup dating» organisés en fin de semaine. Des initiatives encouragées par l’agence de promotion. « En tant qu’agence de promotion des investissements, l’EDBM s’est fixé pour objectifs de renforcer la compétitivité du secteur privé malgache, notamment dans l’agricole dans la mesure où le poids économique de ce dernier est assez conséquent avec sa deuxième place en terme de rentrée de devises après le secteur minier» explique Andry Tiana Ravalomanda, directeur général de l’EDBM. Ce dernier explique que Madagascar est également leader mondial dans l’exportation de plusieurs produits comme la vanille, le girofle et le litchi. Le cacao fin de Madagascar ou les crevettes bio de Madagascar sont de bons exemples d’une production haut de gamme jouissant d’une excellente réputation à l’international.

Mikama - Sep 17, 2018

R.Edmond dans Midi Madagasikara

Agriculture de subsistance. Selon  ce bailleur de fond multilatéral, la population malgache ne tire pas encore profit de ce secteur.   « La performance constamment médiocre du secteur  agricole signifie que, la majorité de la population ne  ressent pas les retombées de la croissance économique ».  Les données statistiques prouvent en tout cas cette importance du secteur agricole à Madagascar. « Environ 80% de la population exercent des activités  agricoles, principalement dans les zones rurales où  l’agriculture de subsistance est la principale source  de revenus. Entre 2001 et 2012 (dernières données  disponibles), 77%  de la population rurale vivaient en  dessous du seuil national de pauvreté – un chiffre qui est  resté inchangé. Et entre 2014 et 2017, le secteur agricole  s’est contracté en moyenne de 0,8% par an. Ce qui  indique que la croissance économique de ces dernières  années ne s’est pas traduite par une amélioration  significative du bien-être de la population rurale. Le  secteur agricole est limité par une faible productivité due à l’utilisation minimale de techniques agricoles modernes,  au manque de connectivité aux marchés pour faciliter le  transport des marchandises, et à une grande vulnérabilité  aux fluctuations climatiques. Les ménages ruraux ont peu  d’activités non agricoles génératrices de revenus pour  atténuer l’impact des chocs météorologiques ».

Harilalaina Rakotobe  dans L'Express de Madagascar

Sur huit millions d’hectares de superficie cultivable dans tout Madagascar, environ deux millions et demi de ces hectares sont exploités. Soit, seulement 4 % de la superficie totale du pays et 31 % des terres cultivables. (..) Opérant dans le domaine de l’agriculture dans la zone Sud de l’île depuis près d’une décennie, Tozzi Green met en avant, à la zone Forello Tanjombato, les espèces cultivées ainsi que l’évolution et l’amélioration de sols dégradés dans le Sud de Madagascar où la terre est réputée pour son caractère aride, dur et difficile à cultiver. Spécialisée dans la culture vivrière, la société dédie une grande partie de ses terrains à la plantation de matières premières alimentaires.

Mikama - Sept 14, 2018

Dans Xinhua
 Madagascar recorded its best rice output in 15 years, a government official said here Thursday. (..) "Madagascar harvested 4.3 million tons of rice in 2018, up from 3.1 million tons in 2017,"

Dans Relief Web
Madagascar a fait face à une épidémie de peste pulmonaire affectant plusieurs zones, en l’occurrence les grandes villes comme Antananarivo et Toamasina en 2017. Rappelons-le, la propagation rapide et la transmission de cette épidémie vers les zones non endémiques ont été favorisées par le déplacement et la mobilité des personnes à l’intérieur même du pays, voire au-delà des frontières. Actuellement, la Grande Île entre de nouveau dans la saison favorable à l’apparition de l’épidémie de peste. Par conséquent, la nécessité d’élaborer une Procédure Opérationnelle Standardisée (POS) pour la mise en place de Postes de Contrôle Sanitaire Terrestre dans certains lieux stratégiques en cas de flambée épidémique de peste ou autres maladies à potentiel épidémique a été identifiée parmi les priorités à court terme.

Dans All Africa
But despite their prominence, zebu herds have dwindled from 23 million in the early 1980s to about six million today. One Malagasy entrepreneur plans to rebuild the island's cattle industry and resurrect a zebu beef export market that faded decades ago due to chronic underinvestment and a lack of proper veterinary care. Backed by about N$95 million ($7 million), International Finance Corporation (IFC) loan and extensive advisory support from IFC and the World Bank, BoViMa-short for Bonne Viande de Madagascar-is building a modern feedlot and slaughterhouse close to Tolanaro in Madagascar's impoverished South. The feedlot will source zebu and animal feed from local breeders and farmers, supporting a wide network of jobs and trade. BoViMa, a member of the SMTP Group, plans to produce zebu meat for domestic and foreign consumption, including the fast-growing Gulf markets of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Danil Ismael, the company's founder and chief executive officer, expects it will provide a much-needed economic boost for Madagascar,

Mikama - Sep 13, 2018

Dans Science Advances
Our evidence for anthropogenic perimortem modification of directly dated bones represents the earliest indication of humans in Madagascar, predating all other archaeological and genetic evidence by >6000 years and changing our understanding of the history of human colonization of Madagascar.

Dans Phys Org
... the new study provides evidence of human presence on Madagascar as far back as 10,500 years ago—making these modified elephant bird bones the earliest known evidence of humans on the island.

Mikama - Sep 12, 2018

Dans Relief Web
Madagascar | Food Insecurity - Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) - DG ECHO Daily Map | 10/09/2018
Latest IPC and nutrition assessment indicate a deteriorated situation in the Grand Sud of the country with widespread food insecurity, reduced access to potable water and worrisome malnutrition rates. According to the June 2018 IPC analysis, in the 9 districts of the Grand Sud out of a total population of 2 million, the number of food insecure people is 954,372 (47% of the population) of which 289,906 in IPC 4. The situation in the four Districts of the Grand Sud Est is also worrisome. Out of a total population of 1.35 million, 307,000 people (23%) are projected to be food insecure (of which 196,418 in IPC 3 and 110,000 in IPC 4) in the period of July–September 2018. The District of Beloha is in IPC 4. The peak of the lean season is yet to come (November – March) and the overall situation in terms of food security, water availability and under-nutrition is expected to further worsen.
Download pdf

Mikama - Sep 11, 2018

iGuide Madagascar
An investment guide to Madagascar
iGuides, designed by UNCTAD and the International Chamber of Commerce, provides investors online with up-to-date information on business costs, opportunities and conditions in developing countries. They are developed jointly with governments, and at their request. (..) Why invest in the country? Main advantages for investors:
Strong potential in the sectors of tourism, mining, energy, agro-processing and apparel.
Diverse landscapes and climate areas with a unique biodiversity.
Preferential market access to the European Union, the United States and Eastern and Southern Africa.
Liberal investment and fiscal regime.
Competitive, French-speaking labour force.

Mikama - Sep 10, 2018

Dans Jalopnik
The Mazana II has been in production since 2015, and is currently the only Malagasy designed-and-built car available in the world. The Mazana II uses a 1.6-liter Peugeot DV6CM diesel engine making a decent 112 horsepower, with four-wheel drive. The body is now said to be made from “Polyester-laminate finerglass” which does sound impressive. That’s some high praise. Design-wise, the Mazana II retains the no-bullshit, angular look of its predecessors, but the body design is now something like a tall sedan with an open rear deck. (..) Though Karenjy’s production has normally been about 12 cars a year, the company has some optimistic hopes, with goals of 25 cars for 2017 and a staggering 50 for 2018. The first one was sold in April of last year, at a price of 49,500, 000 Ariary, which is about $15,840.

Mikama - Sep 7, 2018

Dans PV-Tech
Swiss-headquartered firm Meeco has signed a cooperation agreement with Malagasy company Groupe Filatex to build solar projects in Madagascar, starting with two large-scale projects of 7MW and 8MW capacity and one hybrid solar-diesel project comprising of two 500kW parts. (..) According to a Meeco blog, just 4% of the island's rural population has access to energy, causing troubles with economic development and healthcare. (..) Madagascar’s Ministry of Water, Energy and Hydrocarbons (MEEH) in March tendered for the country’s 25MW(AC) Scaling Solar tender, which is the first to include energy storage in its remit.

Dans Comics Verse
THE FORGOTTEN SLAVES OF TROMELIN BY SYLVAIN SAVOIA
SUMMARY
Sylvain Savoia tells the tragic history of eighty Malagasy people abandoned on Tromelin Island in 1761. THE FORGOTTEN SLAVES OF TROMELIN is meditative and informative. Savoia's delicate artwork captures the sublime island, the archaeological work being done, and the story of the forgotten people.

Mikama - Sep 6, 2018

Dans Ecologist
In April 2017, The Ecologist published concerns about the violation of an environmental buffer zone by the mining group Rio Tinto’s subsidiary, QIT Minerals Madagascar (QMM).
Recent studies undertaken by Rio Tinto (RT) and independently by Dr Steven Emerman, the hydrology and mining expert for The Andrew Lees Trust and an author of this article, confirm that QMM’s mine activity on the Mandena site has extended well beyond legal permissions and encroached onto the lake bed where people fish, collect reeds and other water products.
The Andrew Lees Trust reports are available in French and English.
After three months, Rio Tinto has failed to produce an official statement about the buffer violation, or answer related questions raised by The Andrew Lees Trust.
Sensitive environment
QMM is mining ilmenite, an industrial whitener, from coastal sands of southern Madagascar.
Situated alongside an estuary along the southeast coastline, the mine is operating in a sensitive environment with highly variable weather conditions, including cyclones and seasonal flooding, and a volatile water table.
The extraction of ilmenite leaves behind ponds of water and tailings enriched with radioactive substances (radionuclides). There are concerns that radionuclide-enriched water from the mine tailings will flow into the estuary by flooding or seepage.
Malagasy law requires an 80-metre buffer zone between any investment activity - such as mining - and sensitive areas such as lagoons, marshy areas and wetlands, so as not to disturb the ecological balance. This means an 80-metre area should be left between the lake edge and the mine activity.
QMM claims it was unaware of the national 80-metre buffer restriction until 2013.
Reducing the buffer
QMM therefore applied to the Malagasy Government to waiver the 80-metre restriction for their operation. Their proposed changes were presented in a Social and Environmental Management Plan (SEMP 2014-2018).
QMM proposed to reduce the legal buffer limit by 30 metres, from 80 metres to 50 metres. In reducing the buffer, QMM also proposed to build a “berm” or dam between the edge of the mining operation and the revised 50-metre buffer delimitation.
More egregious than the decimation of an additional 14.4 hectares of unique littoral forest acquired from the buffer reduction, is the fact that QMM’s mine has not respected the revised 50-metre limit and has extended onto the lake bed itself.
There are restrictions to private legal ownership within natural public areas (domaines publics naturels) in Madagascar of which reserved lands (pas géométriques), such as river beds, are included.
Malagasy law requires permissions from the local authority for extractive activities within these reserved lands. No evidence that such permissions have been sought and secured has been provided by Rio Tinto/QMM.
Mine encroachment
Comparing two visual images of the same area of the mine site in question from 2009 and 2016 clearly shows the encroachment and destruction of original forest area.
The 2009 image illustrates the very marshy nature of the lake, which shows in dark pools between the trees.
QMM’s encroachment within and beyond the revised buffer has decimated the ecosystem.

Mikama - Sep 5, 2018

Dans Relief Web
The island was affected by two cyclones this season - Ava and Eliakim - which collectively affected 212,200 people, of which 74,200 were displaced. Madagascar recorded widespread FAW outbreaks and a drought that affected two-thirds of the country (south-central). From March to June 2018 in southern and south-eastern Madagascar, a total of 709,000 people (21% of the population) were classified as in IPC Phase 3 and 350,000 in IPC Phase 4 (10% of the population). From July to September 2018, this figure is projected to increase to 1,261,300, of which 861,000 people will be in IPC Phase 3 and 400,000 in IPC Phase 4, representing 37 percent of population in 4 regions ( Androy, Anosy, Atsimo Andrefana, Atsimo Atsinanana and Vatovavy-Fitovinany)

Dans Web Wire
For Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, “the focus is not just on planting trees for ecological priorities, but for a toolbox of agricultural, forestry and social activities, benefiting for nature and communities at the same time. (...) It was a demanding learning process for all of us. ” To these thirteen years of restoration, from challenges and experiences gained in the Fandriana Vondrozo Corridor, WWF has published a report highlighting the restoration of more than 6,700 ha of forest area, reducing deforestation from 2.58 to 1% and a 30% increase in community incomes through sustainable production systems. Available for download here, this document shares detailed lessons learned on forest restoration from the Malagasy example. The main guarantee of success is that forest restoration should include, as a matter of priority, the appropriation of communities living close to forests. Also, it is a continuous process in the medium and long term that can only be measured in decades.

Mikama - Sep 4, 2018

Dans International Monertary Fund
The gradual economic recovery in this fragile state has persisted, with solid growth for the second consecutive year. Fiscal performance has been strong, inflation contained, and the external position robust. Implementation of the authorities’ economic program, supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement approved in July 2016, has been generally strong, buttressing the recovery.
Series: Country Report No. 18/239
Full Text: http://www.imf.org/~/media/Files/Publications/CR/2018/cr18239.ashx

Dans Relief Web
Severe drought conditions during southern Madagascar’s rainy season from November 2017 to April 2018 has led to nearly dry dams in many parts of the south. This dryness has affected livestock’s access to water and pastureland, which has led to poor livestock body conditions as many are subsisting on burnt cactus leaves in the absence of viable pastureland. This has similarly affected crop development, with many areas experiencing failed or near failed harvests. Only Ambovombe commune received favorably heavy rains in July that allowed some farmers to plant new maize and potato crops.

Mikama - Sep 3, 2018

Dans Transparency International
Transparency International - Initiative Madagascar (TI-IM) and the Voahary Gasy Alliance (AVG) were recently approached by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) to collect information and data on rosewood trafficking in Madagascar. The resulting investigation  reinforces our own analysis of the situation and that of other specialized organizations, such as the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).  (..) Faced with this state of affairs, TI-IM and the AVG recommend that the government stick to the commitments they have made, in particular by:
- Carrying out the expected investigations and enquiries on the whole "precious wood" affair;
- Sanctioning without reservation all traffickers and their accomplices, including public and political figures involved in trafficking precious wood;
- Meeting the obligations of protecting environmental activists involved in denouncing traffickers and their perpetrators, instead of repressing and terrorizing them;
- Demonstrating transparency in drawing up inventories of existing rosewood stocks, by including civil society, and enforcing the measures provided for in the May 2016 Biodiversity Management Plan.
(..) Facilitating the illegal trade in precious wood is an international environmental crime for which the perpetrators must answer in court.

Dans African Review
Madagascar has the highest percentage of ‘olderpreneurs’ (entrepreneurs over the age of 50) compared to the rest of the world, according to analysis from Allstar Business Solutions, the UK-based leading provider of fuel cards. (..) Madagascar was found to have the highest proportion of olderpreneurs in the world, with 39 per cent of the 55+ population accounted for in the TEA index.