Toward efficient, sustainable and safe urban transport in Madagascar
Madagascar remains to exploit agglomeration economies and urbanization economies to sustain more rigorous economic growth. After several political and economic crises, Madagascar restored its modest but steady growth path with an average growth rate of 3.5 percent in the last 5 years (before the COVID-19 pandemic). Yet, the country’s performance remains less favorably compared with other countries in the region. Poverty is persistently high in Madagascar, with a large spatial disparity in poverty incidence across areas. Most rural residents, about 80 percent, remain poor. Urban poverty is relatively modest but is also an important challenge for Madagascar. The urban poor is particularly vulnerable to external shocks, such as COVID19. The pandemic is likely to reverse more than a decade of gains in poverty reduction in Madagascar. This report aims to: (i) review the trends of urban transport developments in major cities in Madagascar, (ii) analyze the present and future demand for urban mobility with focus on Greater Antananarivo, (iii) review the current public infrastructure governance in the urban transport sector, comparing the government’s urban transport programs and other complementary interventions, to maximize the synergy among the programs, and (iv) provide high priority policy recommendations.
