In Madagascar, a constant increase in migration since 1990
Since the early 1990s, there has been a constant increase in the number of international migrants from Madagascar. Estimated at 58,000 people in 1990, it was assessed at 170,000 twenty-five years later, and reached 184,762 in 2020. France is by far the prime destination for these international migrants (84%), followed by the Comoros (5%), Canada (3%), and Italy and Belgium (1%). With a ratio of 63% of women, Malagasy immigration is far more feminised than the world average. The Malagasy diaspora living in France is characterised by a high level of qualification, above the French national average (60% of Masters and PhDs, against just under 30% in France). A third of this diaspora lives in the Paris region (37%), but the remaining two-thirds are evenly distributed regionally.
The continuous growth of emigration from Madagascar has been coupled with an increase in remittances in recent years. Estimated at more than $4 million in 1990, these formal remittances reached $327 million in 2015, then $433 million in 2019, representing almost 4% of GDP. Diaspora mobilisation at the individual and household level is combined with a mobilisation at the collective and community level. According to the Forum of Migrant International Solidarity Organisations (FORIM), 240 associations of Malagasy nationals were created in France between 2006 and 2016.
A political will to promote the Malagasy diaspora
Recognising the growing potential held by the diaspora for its contribution to the socioeconomic development of the country, along with the greater need for consular protection and assistance, the authorities developed an ambitious political and institutional response for the diaspora in late 2015/early 2016.
It was launched through the creation of the Directorate General for Economic Promotion and Diaspora at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where a Diaspora Directorate was established, and enacted on 17 February 2021 through the adoption of a National Policy Letter for the Engagement of the Diaspora (LPNED), with a vision for 2030. The objective of the LPNED is to “establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the State of Madagascar and the Malagasy diaspora, which takes into account the needs and aspirations of Malagasy nationals living abroad and promotes their participation in the sustainable development of the country.”
The LPNED is based on five strategic areas:
- Area 1: Protect and support Malagasy Ampielezana (Malagasy nationals living abroad).
- Area 2: Promote the social, cultural, technical, economic and financial capital of the diaspora.
- Area 3: Improve knowledge about Malagasy Ampielezana.
- Area 4: Citizen and political participation of Malagasy Ampielezana.
- Area 5: Strengthen the strategic partnership and cooperation on the issue of diaspora mobilisation at the national, bilateral and multilateral level.
These five areas have been set out in an action plan which has been developed with the support of the “Migration EU Expertise” (MIEUX) initiative, financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The plan outlines the activities, results, monitoring indicators, actors and timetable, along with the means required for its implementation.
TADY, a project to support the operationalisation of the LPNED
In this context of promoting the Malagasy diaspora, Expertise France is implementing the TADY project, which aims to create conditions conducive to diaspora mobilisation for the socioeconomic development of Madagascar. This project is based on three main objectives:
1- Strengthen the capacities of institutional actors to manage and report on the implementation of the LPNED
Expertise France is assisting the Ministry of Affairs of Madagascar with the strategic and operational management of the deployment of the LPNED. Capacity building is being provided for the staff and the consular network, in particular for the monitoring-evaluation and communication aspects, and the development of services for the Malagasy diaspora.
A technical assistance mechanism will be set up to assist skills development and the modernisation of the ministry’s services during the first implementation phase of the LPNED (2022-2026). It will also help harmonise and strengthen the capacities of the diplomatic and consular network to provide assistance services. The officials and actors involved in the regulation and monitoring of professional mobility are working towards this, with the aim of reducing the exposure of migrant workers to situations of vulnerability, gender-based violence, and human trafficking.
2- Promote the social, cultural, economic and financial capital of the diaspora
This line of action aims to mobilise the Malagasy diaspora to contribute to the social, economic and cultural development of the country. To this end, private expertise from the Malagasy diaspora will be mobilised to provide support to strengthen the capacities of the private and public entities that have expressed needs.
30 local development projects will be identified, implemented and evaluated in the context of North-South partnerships (diaspora, civil society organisations, decentralised cooperation, local authorities), 40 volunteers will be selected and deployed with local authorities and civil society associations in Madagascar, and 20 experts from the diaspora will be mobilised to support the private sector.
3- Monitor the LPNED and public policy dialogue on migration, diaspora and development issues through a knowledge development mechanism
Quantitative data will be updated and consolidated on the weight of the Malagasy diaspora and the ways in which it is organised, an analysis will be conducted on the development dynamics driven by the Malagasy diaspora (qualitative surveys), and an “Observatory of Diaspora Engagement” will be established.
Reduction of gender inequalities and contribution of women to the development of Madagascar at the centre of migration issues
Women make up the majority of migrants from Madagascar. This is the case for both the historical corridor between Madagascar and France (two-thirds are women) and the emerging corridors towards countries in the Gulf and Middle East (90% are women). The composition of the Malagasy diaspora therefore requires a strong and systematic mainstreaming of gender issues.
The support and promotion of the engagement of women from the diaspora and the fight against gender inequalities will therefore be taken into account in all the project’s areas of operation.
• A strong representation of women will be promoted in the capacity building activities. Gender issues and the specific needs of women will be integrated into the activities implemented by the institutional actors for the diaspora in France and migrant domestic workers in the Middle East, and dedicated indicators will be established in the evaluation of the LPNED.
• Project financing focusing specifically on the reduction of gender inequalities will be encouraged. The participation of women and the promotion of the human capital of women from the diaspora through volunteer systems and expertise will be covered by specific quantitative objectives.
• The gender dimension will be mainstreamed into all the quantitative and qualitative surveys.
