| On the sidelines of the AIM Congress, the Head of State held a series of bilateral meetings with Emirati dignitaries. |
The only head of state invited to the 13th edition of the AIM Congress, Andry Rajoelina rolls out the red carpet for investors and invites them to invest in Madagascar. To this end, it highlights Madagascar’s potential in various sectors of activity, as well as the geostrategic position of the country.
The world’s largest investment platform. It is in these terms that Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic, speaks of the AIM Congress or “Annual Investment Meeting”. An event whose 13th edition is being held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
As guest of honor and the only head of state invited to take part, the President of the Republic took the opportunity of his speech during the opening ceremony yesterday to launch a seduction operation towards the investors present. Among the participants in the AIM Congress are regional and international leaders, as well as decision-makers from various economic sectors.
“To achieve our emergence, we are seeking the support of potential partners and friendly countries to support the development long awaited by the Malagasy people,” says Andry Rajoelina, at the start of his speech. A call that he emphasized at the conclusion of his speech. “I invite all private state actors, all partners present here to choose Madagascar as a preferred destination for their investments,” he added.
To convince investors present at the Abu Dhabi Congress, the President highlights the potential and natural resources of the Big Island. He begins his argument with “the geostrategic position of Madagascar, and its central place on the world map located at the crossroads of maritime routes”. A position which “reveals our essential role in regional trade and commerce (…) our country positions itself as a strategic bridge between Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the entire Indian Ocean region ”, he adds.
After the geostrategic question, the tenant of Iavoloha draws the attention of his audience to tourism. “Our Big Island alone concentrates 5% of the world’s biodiversity. It is full of natural wealth and offers countless economic and tourist opportunities,” he says straight away. The Head of State underlines the enormous potential of the tourism industry in the country, citing sports, cultural and seaside tourism as examples. Added to this is the need to strengthen tourist infrastructure, particularly high-end and ecological ones.
Useful and durable
As a cherry on the cake, “the observation of our megafauna including the famous “big four”, the humpback whale, the whale shark, the sea turtle and the dolphins”, is highlighted in the presidential speech. Bluntly, he declares that Madagascar is “exploring new sources of investment, particularly from the United Arab Emirates, in order to diversify our tourist clientele and stimulate sustainable growth in the sector”. To reinforce his arguments, he underlines “the very imminent opening” of the air link between the United Arab Emirates and Madagascar, through the Emirates company.
In the list of key sectors listed in his speech yesterday, there is agriculture. “(…) it is estimated that more than 800 million hectares of agricultural land would be needed to feed the world’s population. Madagascar has more than 36 million hectares of arable land, offering enormous potential to close this global food gap. We have the natural resources, fertile soils and the right climate to be a major agricultural granary,” he argues.
Always with the aim of highlighting the diversity of investment opportunities in Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina highlights the blue economy. He cites in particular the example of shrimps stamped with the prestigious red label. “With an annual production of 30,000 tonnes, our country already plays a significant role on the international aquaculture scene. And we still have the potential to produce up to a hundred times more, with a production capacity of up to 300,000 tonnes,” maintains the President.
Following his momentum, the tenant of Iavoloha made a detour via the mining sector. He presents it as “another promising area of investment”. The Head of State indeed affirms “that with considerable reserves of cobalt, vanadium, iron, gold, graphite and precious stones estimated at 300 million tonnes, our island is positioned as a major player on the global minerals market”. He also announced “the collaboration” with the United Arab Emirates for the opening of the gold refinery plant in Madagascar.
The President ends his overview of examples of key investment sectors with energy. Here again, Andry Rajoelina uses the figures to convince participants at the Abu Dhabi Congress to invest massively in the Big Island. “Madagascar has a hydroelectric potential estimated at more than 7,800 megawatts, a considerable resource that we are determined to exploit,” he attests before concluding, “By betting on our country, you are certain to benefit from an investment useful and sustainable financial”.
