Africa50, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Government of Madagascar have signed a letter of intent to scale up the production capacity of bioethanol in Madagascar.
The announcement, a significant step toward making cooking clean and safe for millions of people across the country, was made in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital, on the sidelines of Africa50’s General Shareholders Meeting.
The partners intend to support the uptake of bioethanol in Madagascar through the construction and improvement of production infrastructure and strengthening supply chains. The program aims to rapidly increase access to clean cooking in remote and underserved areas and reduce dependence on highly polluting cooking fuels.
An estimated 99 percent of Madagascar’s population relies on charcoal and wood for cooking, which contributes to rapid deforestation in the country. The World Health Organization reports that indoor po