Roland Kobia, ambassador of the European Union (EU), is calling for better use of aid in a context of dwindling international financing. He believes Madagascar must demonstrate greater efficiency, transparency and anti-corruption efforts to maintain its partners' trust. While welcoming the directions outlined by the Refoundation, he urges authorities to accelerate reforms.

L'Express de Madagascar - You have just returned from a tour of several localities in the country. Why did you take this initiative?

Roland Kobia - Because I favor grassroots diplomacy and believe a diplomat must go into the field to immerse themselves in the realities of populations to truly understand a country. Local and cultural immersion are for me a way to learn and understand. And also to respect a country's diversity, its traditions, its rituals and its variety. I have the conviction that diplomacy is not about staying in the capital. The capital is important, of course, as a political, economic and administrative center, but Madagascar is vast and very diverse. So I make it a point of honor to visit all regions of the country, to speak with people at all levels in every corner.

I am leaving soon for Menabe for the Fitampoha and I have just returned from a mission to Antsiranana which was extremely interesting, because I believe it also gives a broader and more complete vision of what the European Union does. I visited both what we do traditionally, namely roads. I visited the RN6 which we have just completed and which is magnificent. But I also went to Antsiranana for the arrival of a Spanish military frigate, "Numancia", under the European flag, which is active as part of the European maritime security mission Atalanta. It is a military mission of the European Union active in the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf. It combats piracy, trafficking and illegal fishing, and also protects humanitarian convoys.

This is an aspect of the European Union's work, the security aspect, which is less known. I was invited by the rear admiral of this frigate to see their training activities for the Malagasy navy. And in fact, I took the opportunity to also visit certain companies active in the Diana region, given the important emphasis we place on the business environment.

After this tour of the country, what is your impression of local realities?

What we often observe on the ground is a significant gap between opportunities and reality. It is true that opportunities in Madagascar are vast. However, the reality on the ground sometimes describes a paradoxical image: potential that is not seized, or not enough, or is being undermined. I also observe, it is true, far too much poverty, especially in the Grand South. I see economic, human, commercial potential, growth and development potential that is there, but underexploited.

I also believe good things are being done. I mentioned roads. I am quite impressed by all the work that has taken place in recent months on roads. Part of this is financing from the international community, including the European Union. But another part is done with the State's own funds. That is encouraging. As you know, I travel a lot by road instead of flying, to better understand the country, but also by motorcycle, for professional or personal purposes, and I see an improvement in roads.

Precisely, on these impacts on the population and economy, you often highlight on your networks that the EU is Madagascar's leading commercial partner. Why do you insist on emphasizing these points so often?

It is my duty to inform. And I observe that the broad and deep action of the European Union is neither known nor truly recognized. I have noticed, since I arrived two years ago in Madagascar, that compared to other countries where I have served, there is a lack of information and coverage of what the European Union does. Very few people know what we do with the Member States thanks to the financial effort of European taxpayers, who remain the most generous in the world.

So why is this the case? I take our share of responsibility and no doubt we must make communication efforts, be better and more demanding. And I am trying to do that. It may also be because the various Malagasy networks, for reasons that escape me, do not relay enough information, whether it is the media, economic actors, civil society and different levels.