Madagascar confronting the NTIC market

The digital revolution has undeniably transformed modes of production, and it extends like a web connecting countries. Therefore, there are myriad of opportunities. Despite the challenges, Madagascar is determined to seize these opportunities. To accomplish this, there must be no shortage of resources available.

Thanks to the newly installed structures and investment incentive schemes, the Big Island wants to do everything possible to start strong in the digital realm. Given the place ICT occupies in the global economy, it aims to increase the share of the digital sector in its GDP in the coming years. Specifically, the goal is to have it contribute 6 % of GDP by 2024, compared to 1.5 % in 2019. With its integration into the association of 10,000 coders, membership in the 2Africa project boasting the world’s fastest internet network, and the impressive contribution of young Malagasy individuals in international competitions such as the Huawei ICT competition, where Madagascar secured second prize, it is undeniable that all the necessary conditions are in place for the Big Island to become a prominent leader in the digital sector.

According to estimates from the Ministry of Posts and Communication, Madagascar has the potential to transition 122,000 jobs to digital roles while creating an additional 137,000 positions within three years. In addition, outsourcing and digital service companies (ESN) are flocking to Madagascar. Thousands of jobs are created yearly to meet the high demand, often from Europe. For example, the company SmartOne, during an interview with L’Express Madagascar, said that it has 300 jobs to fill each year. Furthermore, training offers in web marketing, WordPress site development, community management and many others have been observed in recent years. And young Malagasy people are starting to take an interest, especially since consumers are particularly interested in the Malagasy workforce, which is both inexpensive and skilled.

Even though the market seems to match perfectly with the country’s resources, young Malagasy people must deal with frequent power outages that disrupt their work. However, short-term solutions such as joining co-working spaces are available to them. Especially since the state plans to solve the electricity problem once and for all. With the multitude of investment offers focused on electrification, the country aspires to achieve the 7th Sustainable Development Goal, which is access to clean energy at an affordable cost. Also, training young people is a major challenge.

Taking on the challenge of youth education

The establishment of training programs is strongly requested to meet the new demands of the digital sector (artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analysis, etc.). This is already well underway as large companies, such as Orange Digital Center, partner with higher education institutions in computer science, such as IT University, the National School of Computer Science Training in Fianarantsoa, and the polytechnic higher schools. « We get in touch with young people who have basic training in Linux, and we are ready to train them later on the tools and technical solutions used by our customers », says Audrey Gorthana Valley, Director of Orange Digital Center.

Also, in terms of training, we can already count School 42, the largest network of computer schools in the world aware of the skills of young Malagasy people, and opened a campus in Antananarivo last month.