Stimulating the local economy in these regions

The third phase of the Rural Electrification through Renewable Energies (ERER III) project is poised to transform northeastern Madagascar.

On June 18, the Malagasy government signed an 18 million EUR grant agreement with Germany, facilitated by the German Financial Cooperation (KfW). This project will benefit 170 villages across 138 rural communes. Present at the signing were the Minister of Economy and Finance, the Minister of Energy and Hydrocarbons, the KfW portfolio manager, the acting executive secretary of the Rural Electrification Development Agency (Ader), and representatives from the Federal Republic of Germany in Madagascar.

The project will likely focus on Antongil Bay, covering an area of 2,100 km². Antongil, Madagascar’s largest bay, includes several communes and villages currently without electricity. A joint press release from the MEH and MEF stated that the initiative aims to « establish more than 50,000 grid connections and solar mini-grids over a distance of 193 km ». The agreement will allow Germany to invest around EUR 60 million in renewable energies in Madagascar. Electrifying these regions is expected to boost the local economy, which relies mainly on fishing and ecotourism.