“Waiting for an economic cooperation agreement between Madagascar and the United Kingdom”
The relationship between Madagascar and the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century. A friendship marked by years of bilateral cooperation focused on several areas. Six months before the end of his mandate in Madagascar, HE David William Ashley, Ambassador of the United Kingdom for Madagascar and the Comoros, gave us a review of the three years he spent in the country.
Midi Madagasikara (MM): How do you assess the current state of relations between Madagascar and the United Kingdom?
David William Ashley (D.W.A) : I think the relationships are very good. In fact, it’s a relationship that dates back over 200 years. We are proud that the United Kingdom is Madagascar’s oldest partner. It started in 1817 and I think this friendship between our two islands is very strong. I have been here for three years and during this time I have seen an intensification of partnership relations in a few areas. Particularly in the field of the environment but also in human development, in trade and the economy. There is of course much left to do. Unfortunately, I only have six months to spend in Antananarivo.
MM: When you say that there is still a lot to do, in which areas do you think action should be taken?
D.W.A : I’ll mention maybe four. Firstly, we are still awaiting the ratification of the economic partnership between Madagascar and the United Kingdom. In fact, the British market is already open for all Madagascar products. And we see an increase in trade between the two countries. We have a project to support exporters from Madagascar, particularly in the field of Textiles and Chocolate. We would like to have more because we know that economic growth is very important to support the socio-economic development of Madagascar.
Secondly, regarding the environment, we already have more than twenty programs. We will, I hope, launch another in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Third, there is family planning. This is a program in which the United Kingdom is very involved. Our new program will start this year. This will be a way of supporting the efforts and ambitions of the Malagasy government in this area. Furthermore, we have already supported the vulnerable population in the South and South-East. And we will begin a new humanitarian program in a few months to strengthen the population’s resilience to the effects of natural disasters.
It is a reality that Madagascar remains among the poorest countries not in conflict. If we look at the statistics, the reality is sometimes shocking. The fact, for example, that Madagascar has only been able to achieve two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, that nearly 75% of Malagasy people remain in poverty or that 50% of the country’s forests have disappeared over the last 50 years. All of this constitutes reasons to strengthen efforts in all sectors.
In terms of education, there is also much to do in improving access and quality. Especially since Madagascar has a young population. Currently, the country has almost 30 million inhabitants. By 2050, it is possible that Madagascar will have a population of 54 million people and perhaps close to 100 million by 2100. All of this is to say that there is definitely a lot to be done in this sector.
MM: Concerning the strengthening of the economic partnership between the two countries, how could this become a reality?
D.W.A : I will mention two things. Regarding higher education, we would like to have more scholarships under programs such as the Chevening scholarships. We would like more Malagasy people to study in the United Kingdom.
As I have already said, the British market is very open to Malagasy products. However, the level of trade remains low compared to the United States, France and Germany. I believe it is possible to further strengthen economic relations between the two countries. We are making efforts to attract more British investors to Madagascar. We of course have big investors like Rio Tinto and Helios Towers but we want to attract many more.
MM: Are there any flops regarding the programs implemented within the framework of the partnership between the two countries?
D.W.A : No. I don’t see it that way. I just think it’s necessary to continue the programs in the long term. I take the example of education again. Given all the needs on the ground, it is a shame that the country cannot use all the funds available from the World Bank. Indeed, one of Madagascar’s problems is that it has difficulty using all the available funds.
On the issue of family planning, I think we must also continue because it is with time that we will be able to obtain the results. As I said, population growth is a challenge for Madagascar. I hope that our support through our program in the family planning sector will help and particularly, I hope to provide more opportunities for women and girls.
Comments collected by José Belalahy
