Madagascar: Toamasina political capital for a week

During one week, the executive power will be relocated to Toamasina. The revival of the city of the major port, as well as the development of the Atsinanana region, will be the main topics discussed during this Executive meeting.

A special Council of Ministers. This is how the President of the Republic, Andry Rajoelina, has named the meeting that will be held in Toamasina, tomorrow, during a trip to Tanandava, on the 9th of March. From the economic capital, the city of the major port will become the political capital of the country for one week.

The holding of this special Council of Ministers in the capital of the Atsinanana region, tomorrow, was confirmed during the Executive meeting last Thursday. According to the President’s statements in Tanandava in March, support for the revival of Toamasina, and more broadly of the Atsinanana, will be at the heart of the discussions. The head of Iavoloha announced that a sum of 8 million dollars is already ready to be invested immediately for this purpose.

This amount, according to the presidential explanations, constitutes the remaining part of a “special grant” allocated by the Ambatovy project. A funding dating back to the Transition period. “This is why we are holding this special meeting, to see how to use wisely these 8 million dollars,” said the President in Tanandava. There is much to be done in Toamasina and the Atsinanana region.

During his visit to the capital of the Atsinanana region in March, Andry Rajoelina notably criticized the uncleanliness of the city. He publicly called out the mayor of the urban commune of Toamasina and that of the suburban commune of Toamasina regarding sanitation issues.

Inaugurations

In addition to hygiene, chaos, and insecurity, the disastrous state of its roads is among the black spots tarnishing the image of the city of the major port.

For over a month, Toamasina has been plagued by daily power outages. An exasperating situation that led to riots in some neighborhoods of the city on the night of March 14-15. In addition, there is an interregional problem, namely the appalling state of National Road number 2 (RN2). Being the main supply route of the country, the poor condition of RN2 has disastrous consequences on the national economy. The Executive meeting to be held tomorrow in the economic capital of the Great Island is expected to provide answers to these various issues. It demonstrates “the firm commitment of the Executive to implement a governance of proximity, being closer to citizens, as well as to strengthen administrative decentralization while reaffirming its commitment to sustainable and equitable development of all regions of Madagascar,” said the Presidency of the Republic in a statement published yesterday.

It is also the first relocated Council of Ministers of this second term of President Rajoelina. As confirmed by the missive published yesterday by the presidential institution, the Head of State and the government will take advantage of this trip to Toamasina to monitor ongoing projects. On the Executive’s agenda, there will also be a series of inaugurations.

A visit to the rehabilitation site of Ratsimilaho Boulevard, which links the port to the Toamasina airport, is also on the agenda. Andry Rajoelina and the government will then assess the progress of the construction work on the expressway that will provide a direct link between RN2 and the port. Monitoring the progress of the MIAMI project is also on the agenda.

The “launch of the construction of a gas terminal” would also be among the appointments scheduled in the schedule of the Executive in the capital of the Atsinanana region. After Toamasina, the President of the Republic and the government will make a visit to the Analanjirofo region on Friday. After an event planned in Soanierana Ivongo, they will proceed with a series of inaugurations in Fenoarivo-Atsinanana. The inauguration of the university and the university campus of Analanjirofo are notably on the agenda.

Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson