Eight kilometres from the port of Toamasina, the Tsarakofafa site is set to become the beating heart of Malagasy logistics. The Plateforme Multimodale Logistique et Portuaire (PMLP) — known as 'Port Sec III' — plans a $200 million investment to build a landside interface capable of handling the growing throughput of East Africa's largest deep-water port.
A Project of Industrial Scale
Preliminary works begin in August 2026 with the construction of an access road and a 500-truck parking facility. At full build-out, the platform will include complete logistics infrastructure, container deconsolidation zones and — crucially — a rail connection linking the site to the existing network. Director General Heritiana Anicet Randriambahoaka was unequivocal: «Tsarakofafa has all the conditions to develop a modern, high-performance logistics platform.»
The projected economic impact is substantial: between 60 and 100 billion ariary in annual revenues depending on maturity horizon, and approximately 1,500 permanent jobs alongside several thousand temporary positions during the construction phase.
A Sensitive Social Dimension
Developing the site requires the relocation of approximately 270 households within the project's footprint. Over 100 have already accepted relocation to Port Sec II. How this social dimension is managed will be decisive for the project's credibility and momentum.
The port of Toamasina is already East Africa's premier deep-water port, with capacity doubled in recent years through JICA-financed expansion. Port Sec III extends this momentum by solving the landside bottleneck that limits the entire logistics corridor's efficiency.
Why It Matters
Madagascar is emerging as a serious player in the regional logistics landscape. With Toamasina targeting East African hub status and Port Sec III to handle downstream land flows, the island is committing to a structural economic transformation. For investors across the Indian Ocean region, this is an opportunity to move before competitors — Mombasa in Kenya, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania — consolidate their positions further.