Orange Madagascar in optical fiber between Tana and Majunga
Orange Madagascar inaugurated a 558 kilometer fiber optic line between Antananarivo and Majunga at the beginning of December 2025, in the northwest of the country on the Mozambique Channel. Eight months of work were necessary to build this infrastructure. Orange Madagascar has a global fiber optic operator license ; to begin with, in 2024, he installed the connection between Tananarive and Antananarivo, where is the Lion cable landing point.
An urban train in Antananarivo
A first urban rail line was put into service in mid-December in the Malagasy capital. 16 kilometers long, she tells Ambohimanambola, an outlying district in the south of the capital, at the central railway station of Soarano. It is dotted with eight stations and a 300-seat train travels through it in 45 minutes.. For the moment, two daily round trips are provided, morning and evening. The trip costs 3,000 ariarys (around 60 euro cents). The launch of a rail offer by the Ministry of Transport aims to reduce the traffic jams which paralyze traffic in Antananarivo, particularly at times of hiring and debauchery. The rehabilitation of train lines inherited from colonization (Antananarivo-Toamasina, Antananarivo-Antsirabe) is regularly mentioned by the leaders who have succeeded each other at the head of state for more than thirty years.
Towards maintaining AGOA
The United States House of Representatives voted on January 12 to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act until the end of 2028. (Ago), which allows many African countries to export some of their products free of customs duties. Throughout 2025, the Madagascar embassy in Washington led a sustained plea in favor of the renewal of AGOA, which made it possible to structure the textile production of the Big Island. This sector is the main local beneficiary of the system. It employs 100,000 people and generates $700 million in revenue per year.
Military cooperation : rapprochement with Russia
The Russian Federation quickly found a place in the first circle of partners of the new Malagasy power. In recent weeks, Moscow handed over various military equipment to Madagascar then sent a delegation to train the Malagasy army in their use.
An arms factory project mentioned
The possibility of creating an arms manufacturing factory, in partnership with a Chinese company, was mentioned in mid-January by Michaël Randrianirina, president of the Refoundation of Madagascar. The latter returned from an official visit to Abu Dhabi and also shared his discussions with international partners on numerous development issues. : the establishment of a fertilizer manufacturing plant in Tuléar, modernization of port and energy infrastructure, the digitalization of public administration, access to drinking water…
Internet prices falling
Malagasy telecommunications operators have agreed to significantly lower their Internet access prices, early December 2025. This drop was one of the demands of the demonstrators who contributed to the ouster of Andry Rajoelina, last September. According to the International Telecommunications Union (OUT), monthly expenses to access the Internet in the Big Island represented 6,28% of gross national income per capita in 2023, against 4,48% on average in Africa and 1,24% global average. The ITU has set the threshold for acceptability of Internet connection at 2% of income.. Only 20% of the Malagasy population uses the Internet.
Immigration to the United States remains possible
Malagasy people can continue to apply for immigration visas in the United States. The Big Island is not part of the list of 75 countries with which the American administration has decided to suspend procedures for granting immigration visas. The United States took this step considering that the reliability of the civil status documents presented and the guarantees of repatriation were insufficient. 26 African states are affected by this tightening, just like various Eastern European countries, from Asia and the Middle East, from the Caribbean and Latin America.
