The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Madagascar

  • Madagascar’s new President Rajoelina sworn in

    One month after the run-off election for the presidency of Madagascar, the new Head of State, Andry Rajoelina, took his oath of office on Saturday.

    Rajoelina, in front of tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium of the capital, Antananarivo, promised to get down to work immediately to push ahead with the country’s development.

    READ ALSO: Madagascar’s Prime minister steps down

    “For the first time in the history of the Republic of Madagascar, since the return of independence, we are experiencing a democratic change and a peaceful transfer between two elected presidents,” Rajoelina said.

    The 44-year-old already governed the Island State off the South-East Coast of Africa from 2009 to 2014.

    During the election campaign, he had promised to stem corruption and fight poverty.

    Former president Marc Ravalomanana, who lost out in the election on Dec, 19, 2018, and who had questioned the final result, also attended Rajoelina’s inauguration.(dpa/NAN)

  • Presidential election kicks off in Madagascar

    Madagascar kicked off its first round of the presidential election on Wednesday to select their future leader for the next five years.

    According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Madagascar, over 9.9 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at 24,582 polling stations across the country from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

    A total of 36 candidates will participate in the election, including two former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, as well as the former transitional president Andry Rajoelina.

    Read Also: UN angry over kidnap of students in Cameroon

    They are also considered to be the top three candidates in the election.

    The diplomatic missions and international organisations such as EU have been accredited to observe the presidential poll in the country.

    According to the INEC, the counting of the votes will begin after the close of voting, and the result of the first round will be proclaimed before Nov. 19.

    If no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the votes, the second round of voting will be held on December 19.

  • Seven children die after eating poisonous sea turtle in Madagascar

    Seven children die after eating poisonous sea turtle in Madagascar

    Seven children died of food poisoning after eating sea turtle, officials in Madagascar said on Wednesday.

    The children, between a few months and 4 years old, were from the same family in the north of the island off the East African coast.

    “Seven children died on Jan.8 and 9, including two infants after breastfeeding whose mothers had eaten the turtle meat,” Said Borohany, a medical inspector, said.

    Sea turtles are a protected species in Madagascar, but people still eat them.

    Between November and March, the animals feed on toxic algae that lines the seabed, and the toxins can be found in their flesh.

    “This kind of case occurs every year at this time,” said Manitra Rakotoarivony, Director of Health Promotion at the Health Ministry.

    “Yet we go down to these areas to explain that locals should not eat this meat,” he added.

  • Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    A plague epidemic in Madagascar has killed 124 people since August in an outbreak that hit the island’s two main cities the hardest, authorities said on Wednesday.

    Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but the outbreak that has caused 1,192 suspected cases since August is especially worrying because it started earlier in the season than usual and hit urban rather than rural areas.

    In addition, two thirds of the cases are of the pneumonic plague, the deadliest form of the disease.

    “The total number of cases (1,192) is already three times higher than the average annual total,” the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said in a report on Wednesday.

    Last week a World Health Organisation ( WHO ) report said the death toll stood at 94.

    The capital Antananarivo and Toamasina, the two largest cities in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, were the most affected, with 55 per cent of cases recorded there.

    To date 54 medical staff have been infected, it said.

    The report said that of an estimated 9.5 million dollars in aid needed to counter the epidemic, only 3 million dollars has been raised.

    Read Also: Outbreak of Cough, Measles kills 17 children in Kano

  • Madagascar joins Afreximbank

    Madagascar joins Afreximbank

    The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said on Monday that Madagascar had joined the bank as a participating state.

    A statement by the continental trade finance institution in Lagos, said Madagascar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Béatrice Jeanine Atallah, formalized the country’s membership of the bank on June 24.

    According to the statement, the signing of the instrument commits Madagascar to take all necessary steps for the ratification of bank’s Establishment Agreement.

    “Membership of the bank gives Madagascar automatic access to the full range of products and facilities offered by Afreximbank, including trade finance facilities, project finance services, trade information and advisory services, among other.

    “Under the terms of the Agreement, new countries are required to first issue an instrument of acceptance and accession and then proceed to formally ratify the Agreement in order to fully activate their membership of the bank,” the statement said.

    Current Afreximbank participating states are – Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, and Lesotho.

    Others are – Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Participating States would become shareholders when they acquire shares in the bank.

    Afreximbank shareholders are a mix of public and private entities divided into four classes.

    NAN

  • Madagascar’s economy recovering, needs reforms – IMF

    Madagascar’s economy recovering, needs reforms – IMF

    Madagascar’s economy showed early signs of recovery in 2014 with growth estimated at three percent, which could rise to five percent in 2015, but political instability, weak institutions and weak governance are hurting prospects, the International Monetary Fund said.

    The Indian Ocean Island’s economy was battered after a 2009 coup that drove away donors and investors. A peaceful 2013 election has brought back some aid, but the nation is still struggling to impose stable government and economic reforms.

    The cabinet resigned last week and a new prime minister, Jean Ravelonarivo, an air force commander and businessman, was sworn in on Saturday.

    But his appointment faces a legal challenge, which could prolong efforts to pick new ministers, Reuters says.

    “In a fragile environment, the uncertainty linked to political instability, weak institutions, and weak governance has been eroding the foundation for solid economic growth,” the IMF said in a report on its website.

    “There are early signs of an economic recovery in 2014, with growth estimated at three percent and December inflation under seven percent,” it said, projecting growth of five percent in 2015.

    But the IMF said weak tax revenue meant spending on vital areas such as health and education was constrained, adding that funding fuel subsidies and the under-funded civil service pension fund were also imposing budgetary pressures.