Madagascar Digital Assessment

Project designed to evaluate Madagascar’s telecommunications market, identify reform opportunities, and support inclusive digital development through evidence-based policy and investment guidance.


The challenge

Madagascar faced major barriers to digital development, including limited broadband adoption, high market inefficiencies, weak last-mile coverage, and regulatory constraints.
The International Finance Corporation required a comprehensive market assessment to understand supply and demand dynamics, evaluate reform scenarios, quantify economic impacts, and identify the risks and opportunities shaping future digital inclusion.

Project outline

  • Assessed retail broadband, mobile services, digital infrastructure, and the national regulatory landscape.

  • Analyzed competitive dynamics in broadband and mobile markets, including State-Owned Enterprise performance, pricing trends, and competitive behavior.

  • Evaluated wholesale market supply and demand, modelling the impact of backbone liberalization on sector growth.

  • Reviewed ancillary digital infrastructure including data centers and telecom towers.

  • Examined last-mile coverage, affordability, and digital inclusion barriers, identifying structural and regulatory constraints.

  • Developed recommendations on sector reforms, quantifying the costs, benefits, and investment implications of potential interventions.

Our impact

  • Delivered a full-market diagnostic enabling IFC and national stakeholders to understand digital sector bottlenecks and reform priorities.

  • Provided investment-relevant insights into backbone liberalization, wholesale market development, and digital infrastructure expansion.

  • Identified actionable policy and regulatory reforms to strengthen competition, expand last-mile coverage, and promote inclusive digital growth.

  • Equipped decision-makers with evidence-based scenarios to guide future investment planning and sector modernization.

 


Duration of engagement: December 2020 – May 2021