A partnership between the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Consumer Affairs (MICC) with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is underway to support private sector development in Madagascar.
This is, according to the explanations given, an initiative to improve the environment for entrepreneurship, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is in this context that a call for projects has just been sent to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), in order to support intermediary organizations working for the development of the private sector. The terms of reference for calls for projects are now available and candidates can apply before July 19, 2022.
According to the initiators of the call for projects, it is above all a question of strengthening the capacity of intermediary organizations of the private sector in their role of catalyst in entrepreneurship for the diversification of the country’s economy. The financial support proposed by the MICC and the UNDP is 60,000 USD per entity. The support may cover up to the full cost of the action, ie the applicant is not required to contribute financially to the project submitted.
If there is a balance, ie the difference between the total cost of the project and the amount requested, this must be financed from the applicant’s or partners’ own resources, or from sources other than the allocated budget. We also know that the support offered includes technical support throughout the duration of the project, through advice and guidance, as well as assistance in monitoring and preparing narrative and financial reports.
It should also be remembered that a meeting took place last February between the Minister for Industrialisation, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Edgard Razafindravahy, and the UNDP representative, Natasha Van Rijn. The exchanges focused in particular on the Industrial Incubator Zones (ZPI) which did not fail to attract the interest of this technical and financial partner who is particularly active on the Big Island.
Industrial nursery areas
“Your ministry is fundamental when it comes to economic growth and human development”, underlined Natasha Van Rijn who also indicated that the UNDP has chosen the MICC to participate in the implementation of projects on the promotion from the private sector. As part of this cooperation, the two parties have agreed to jointly explore and identify sites for the establishment and expansion of IPZs at the regional and district levels. On the side of the ministry, it was stressed that the objective through the ZPI is to promote local production, transform surplus products and improve the standard of living of producers.
It should also be noted that the partnership between the MICC and the UNDP takes into account the resolutions and proposals recorded during the exchanges carried out within the framework of the Alliance for the Sustainable Industrialization of Madagascar. According to Rakotondrasanjy Rivo, president of this platform, the most difficult thing is to see how the situation evolves at the level of civil society. “Entrepreneurship is formulated by making the investment compatible with other parameters such as the environment. In this integrated framework, we are called to be aware of the real issues of current social aspects in the Big Island, such as climate change, poverty, etc., “he argued.
Members of the private sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, who also emphasize that “each of us, in our activities, understands, and acts in the achievement and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. What we want is for everyone to have arrived at a certain level, a level where we should move forward and face the constraints. With this in mind, we would like there to be a platform for permanent and constructive dialogue with civil societies”.
And it must be recognized that the initiatives undertaken within the framework of the partnership between the MICC and the UNDP constitute a response to the wishes of the private sector, whether these are those formulated at the level of the Alliance for the Sustainable Industrialization of Madagascar only through other exchange platforms, including the public-private dialogue space set up by the ministry and which resulted, among other things, in the launch of the industrial programming bill.
