Madagascar builds roads and markets in southern region
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Between 2019 and 2025, Madagascar invested in its southern region by building and improving roads, markets, and agricultural equipment for local businesses and associations.
The first phase of the Programme d’appui à la compétitivité économique (PACFC) paved 210 kilometers of roads, including 165 kilometers of the RN9 and 45 kilometers of the RNT12A, and constructed eight bridges across those routes. These improvements aim to ease transportation of goods and people, and to support commercial activity and agriculture in the region.
The PACFC also provided training to 254 small and medium-sized enterprises and offered incubation support to 48 of them. Additionally, 82 women’s agricultural associations received new equipment to help with production and sales. While these investments are intended to improve economic conditions, the program’s initial assessment does not yet show how the changes have affected household income, local employment, or product prices.
The program reports that 3.5 million people, including 41% women, now have improved access to markets as a result of the roadwork. However, further data is needed to fully understand the economic effects of the PACFC’s investments and to measure the long-term impact on the local economy.
