Madagascar may become a partner country of the BRICS group, following discussions with member state South Africa. The Malagasy interim president Michael Randrianirina has told Russian media that the new status may be confirmed as early as the 18th BRICS summit, which will be held in India, most likely in June 2026. Randrianirina said the matter was discussed during his visit to South Africa, where he met the latter state’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, late ast week. He said: ‘Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to our request to help Madagascar become a BRICS partner state. I expect to attend the summit in India,...

Madagascar’s head of state Michael Randrianirina has arrived in South Africa for conversations with the latter state’s president Cyril Ramaphosa. The two are expected to discuss Malagasy-South African relations, as well as the situation in Madagascar and perhaps the steps the island-republic is taking towards its first national elections since the removal from power of previous president Andriy Rajoelina in October 2025. As we noted, Rajoelina fled Madagascar after close to three weeks of civil unrest, which began with protests against electricity and water supply cuts across the country, and developed into widespread unrest and resistance to state efforts to...

The Malagasy government has begun a six-month ‘National Consultation’ which it says is designed to ‘drive constitutional reform’ and form the basis of the Malagasy ‘Fifth Republic’. The initiative will start at the fokotany level, progressing through communes, districts and regions of Madagascar. It is hoped the entire population will be able to express aspirations and opinions regarding the country’s governance, laws and constitution. Malagasy president Michael Randrianirina, who led the Malagasy military’s CAPSAT unit before taking power in October this year, said the Consultation would ‘set the groundwork for a renew system of governance’ for Madagascar. Randrianirina took power...

One impact of Malagasy youngsters no longer being able to live with their families, alongside poverty, living on the streets and exposure to significant risk, can be the disruption and potential end of their education. Rano Soloniaina, a resident at the AAB centre, explains how he and the Money for Madagascar partner organisation have worked to make sure he could return to school, and thrive. The AAB centre, on the outskirts of the Malagasy capital Antananarivo, is an important partner of Money for Madagascar, which provides shelter, clothing, food, water, healthcare, access to education and care and attention to boys...

Heavy rains in and around Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo have caused extensive damage to a children’s centre with which we work. On Tuesday (11 November 2025) evening at about 7.15pm Malagasy-time, a storm including heavy rain, strong winds and hail, struck the Akany Avoko Ambohidatrimo (AAA) centre, home to 105 children; girls aged 0-18 and boys aged 0-8 years old. The 150-capacity centre provides shelter, food, water, healthcare, clothing, access to education, care and attention to young people who are unable to live with their families. We work alongside them to help ensure Malagasy children are not forced into, or...

World leaders have gathered in Belem, Brasil under the ongoing shadow of the climate catastrophe, for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30). The summit has begun with the world in an unprecedented level of risk from – and in the case of Madagascar experience of the impacts of – climate change, but serious questions must be asked about who is taking part, who is not in the room, and whether we can expect any of the urgent collaboration we need to address the crisis even to be agreed, let alone acted on. The deepening crisis Delegates from more than...

Malagasy president and colonel of the CAPSAT Malagasy army unit Michael Randrianirina has kept the first of his promises to Madagascar, by appointing a civilian prime minister. Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, an economist who worked at the World Bank, and has been chairman and ceo of the Malagasy National Industrial Bank since November 2020, was appointed to the role yesterday (Monday 20 October 2025). He had been a technical advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 14 months, from February 2019 to April 2020. His first major role will be to create a ‘civilian government’ to serve under Randrianirina and his...

We are delighted to announce the release of our special edition 2026 Calendar. We were founded in 1986 to provide funds and other assistance to Malagasy organisations and communities – our partners – so that Malagasy people could formulate and deliver the solutions to the challenges they face: Malagasy solutions to Malagasy problems. We have a large number of celebrations and activities planned to mark this very special year, and we invite you to participate in any way you choose in any of them you can. Our calendar for 2026 is, as always, a celebration of Madagascar, still packed with...

Colonel Michael Randrianirina of the Malagasy army unit CAPSAT has been sworn in as the new president of Madagascar, just days after carrying out a military takeover of the island. The change in leadership in Madagascar came as the result of three weeks of social unrest and widespread violence, after young Malagasy people staged a demonstration following increasingly regular cuts to power and water supplies across the country, blamed on the government-owned water and power supply company JIRAMA, which receives ten per cent of the total Malagasy state budget every year, but which was overseeing cuts lasting ten hours or...

A unit of the Malagasy army has claimed it has ‘taken power’ in Madagascar. The CAPSAT unit, which on Saturday (11 October 2025) announced it was joining protests against the Malagasy government and president Andry Rajoelina, saying it would not ‘follow illegal orders’ to ‘shoot our brothers and sisters’ (the demonstrators) made the announcement today. CAPSAT (Corps d’administration des personnels et des services administratifs et techniques) leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, announced to reporters in Antananarivo that the Malagasy military will form a ‘council’ of officers from the army, military police (gendarmerie) and police, which would take on the roles up...

Malagasy president Andry Rajoelina is strongly believed to have left Madagascar, following 18 days of protest against his rule and living standards in the island republic. Rajoelina has engaged in no presidential business since Friday (10th October 2025) but made a statement earlier today, issued by his office, in which he said a coup d’etat was being carried out – a claim strongly-denied by protestors, who say they are exercising their right to demonstrate, and said his failures, and what they regard as his excesses in response to the protests, mean he must resign. He had been scheduled to address...

A summertime pilot scheme run by a centre we helped create, and which is run by a Money for Madagascar partner, has celebrated the success of its first summer activity programme. From 7 July to 30 August, 140 children – 80 aged 4-11 and 60 aged 12-18 – took part in the Ankizy Gasy Mentoring Centre ‘summer sessions’, attending workshops and classes in subjects and classes the children requested, designed to complement their school education, as well as to give vulnerable families a safe space for their children to learn, and receive nutritious food to help combat hunger. The courses...