Harold Tavares, administrator of the World Bank Group, is on an official visit to Madagascar. Meetings with senior state officials and field visits are on his agenda.

Harold Tavares, administrator of the World Bank Group.

A routine tour. This is how the two-day official visit of Harold Tavares, administrator representing the Africa II group on the Board of Directors of the World Bank Group, is being presented. This visit begins today. The stated objective is to assess, on the ground, the impact of actions taken by the financial institution.

This visit was announced yesterday in a media notice. Harold Tavares will meet with the Prime Minister, government members, and the governor of Banky Foiben'i Madagasikara (BFM), Madagascar's central bank. "The visit will also include several field trips to discover the concrete results of projects supported by the World Bank Group in key sectors for the country's development, namely water, energy, and urban development," states the notice given to the press.

Beyond its protocol nature, this visit should allow Harold Tavares to assess ground realities and evaluate the results of World Bank financing. The media notice also highlights his role within the Bretton Woods institution. "The office of the Africa II group administrator represents twenty-three African countries on the Board of Directors of the World Bank Group [including Madagascar]," the document specifies.

According to the notice, Harold Tavares "participates in strategic decisions of the World Bank Group and represents the interests of countries in his constituency. He contributes notably to discussions on the institution's direction and approval of financing to support member countries' development."

Weak Point

Beyond protocol, this visit could have strategic significance for Madagascar's authorities. The World Bank Group is one of the main financial partners of the Great Island. It finances sixteen projects in areas ranging from energy and access to drinking water to road and transport infrastructure, urban development, human capital strengthening, and private sector development, for a total envelope of 3.8 billion dollars.

Authorities could use these exchanges to present the main axes of the General Policy of Refoundation (PGR). The objective is to enable Harold Tavares to relay to Washington the country's new priorities so that future World Bank financing can better align with them. This visit also represents an opportunity to defend Madagascar's case in a context of strong competition between countries for access to international financing, while available resources are becoming scarce.

However, the Great Island presents a significant weakness: an insufficient disbursement rate of financing. A weakness that Dr. Herinjatovo Ramiarison, Minister of Economy and Finance, acknowledged during a press meeting in early May. Administrative delays and bureaucratic burden are among the main causes of this situation. An observation also shared by Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison during his face-to-face with deputies in early July.

This low disbursement capacity slows the execution of development projects. Before the National Assembly, the Prime Minister committed to removing major administrative obstacles to accelerate project implementation.

Garry Ranaivoson