Madagascar and Russia : divided power
Last October 12, Madagascar was one of 143 countries that condemned Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions in a general assembly vote. The Malagasy position was interpreted as a significant diplomatic development, since the Big Island proclaimed its neutrality since the start of the conflict. But on October 18, Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato, who had taken the initiative for this vote without visibly consulting beforehand with the head of state, was dismissed by decision of the latter.
Hypothetical oil resources
Madagascar Oil has started marketing the heavy fuel oil it extracts from the basement of Tsimiroro, in the Morondava region, to several industrialists from Antsirabé. The oil company estimates the savings made by customers who use this fuel to produce their electricity at 25%.. Madagascar Oil is the only company in production in the country. The reality of the Big Island's oil resources continues to raise doubts, after the failures of various prospecting campaigns. According to a Norwegian consultancy commissioned by the WordWide Foundation, the Tsimiroro deposit, which must be operated until 2043, will be the only one to be the subject of profitable exploitation. WWF doubts continued investments in other oil fields identified in the country.
A “biocement” developed in Tananarive
The polytechnic school of the Malagasy capital recently presented one of its discoveries : a mixture of lime and rice husk ashes which, with a few other ingredients, constitutes a “biocement” that can be used as a coating or mortar. Even if it cannot be used in the making of reinforced concrete, the product, cheap, could find numerous local outlets and allow the recovery of all or part of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plant waste produced each year from the country's rice fields.
17 million landlocked Malagasy people
“The road density of the country is only 5,4 km per 100 km² of area, which leaves around 17 million rural residents landlocked”, according to a World Bank report on Madagascar's roads. Only 58% of Malagasy people live in areas where agricultural products can be transported at affordable transport prices.. The poor state of the roads penalizes the country's economy, starting with the tourism sector. The World Bank is currently financing several major road rehabilitation projects in the Big Island, to the tune of 400 million dollars (half in loans, the other in donations).