Represented at the Africa Forward 2026 Summit in Nairobi by Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, Madagascar championed the positioning of a "green and connected" economy. A strategy designed to attract international investors while aligning with the new priorities of the Africa-world partnership: energy transition, sustainable agriculture, and digital technologies.
A Clear Positioning: Green, Sustainable, Connected
Before 30 heads of state and 1,500 decision-makers gathered in Nairobi, the Malagasy delegation articulated its vision around three complementary axes: developing natural resources through a sustainable lens, deploying digital infrastructure to connect rural territories, and building a competitive agri-export value chain.
PAPAM 2: Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Resilience
Among the projects highlighted is the Agricultural Productivity Improvement Programme in Madagascar (PAPAM 2), covering 2025-2028. Funded with support from the French Development Agency (AFD), the programme targets strengthening farmer capacities, agroecological transition, and improving agricultural incomes across multiple regions. Madagascar hopes to leverage this concrete project to attract additional financing in the sector.
A Supportive Macroeconomic Context
This participation comes against a backdrop of upwardly revised growth forecasts: the State raised its target from 4.8% to 6% for 2026, supported by services and private investment. The Central Bank had separately projected 5.1% growth. This dynamism is the key argument in the investor attraction narrative.
Why It Matters
Madagascar has rare assets: exceptional biodiversity, vast natural resources, a strategic position in the Indian Ocean. But translating investments into reality continues to face persistent challenges — infrastructure, institutional stability, access to finance. Participation in Africa Forward 2026 signals Antananarivo's determination to engage with the new dynamics of continental partnership, beyond traditional bilateral channels.
Sources: Madagascar Newsroom, May 2026; 2424.mg; Africa Forward Summit 2026.