The number of local and foreign tourists making for the seaside of Toamasina city is said to have been receding. Local professionals consequently got a move on to restore the eastern coast's fame to what it used to be, hoping this recovery to tip the scales. Read More »

Returns from taxes have always been too low and regularly pointed out by Madagascar's foreign financial backers as one of the obstacles to the development of the island. The local mandatory levy averages the much too low 11% of GDP, and the tax bases reveal that about a mere 12% of the population contributes to tax collection. The repeatedly proposed, and eventually imposed solution, is the extension of the taxpayer base to 15%, but proves however to be physically impossible. In a society ruled by a continuously thriving informal sector based economy, such a project appears more than problematic as a matter of fact. Read More »

A few days after his return from China, Prime Minister Roger Kolo finally announced news which look good indeed, namely the imminent arrival of Chinese investors with various interests in several fields of operation in Madagascar. The government has made the political choice of turning to Asian companies much less caring about ethics of business and desperate to put a grip on business opportunities at any rate. Serge Zafimahova, president of the Development and Ethics Club, subsequently drew attention on the double edge sword which this inflow of Chinese investments is to bring with, and called upon to a larger focus on the stuff of genuine opportunities for the country. Read More »