Digital and Energy Connectivity for Inclusion in Madagascar (DECIM) — Gender-Targeted Device Access Bundled with Rural Electrification

Madagascar has among the lowest electricity (33.7%) and internet penetration rates in the world, with a pronounced gender gap in digital device ownership and connectivity, particularly in rural areas.
The Digital and Energy Connectivity for Inclusion in Madagascar project (DECIM), approved by the World Bank Board on 7 April 2023 with a $400 million IDA credit, bundles renewable-energy expansion with digital connectivity: it aims to raise electricity access from 33.7% to 67%, connect around 2,000 schools and health centres, and add 3.4 million new internet users nationally. A dedicated digital-inclusion window (reported at roughly $24 million) subsidises the cost of internet-connected devices, with 400,000 of a reported 664,000 devices explicitly earmarked for women and girls to help close the gender digital divide, alongside affordability subsidies for female-headed households and women-led businesses.
As of 2025 reporting, the programme had facilitated access to roughly 664,000 internet-connected digital devices and continued fiber-optic and electrification rollout; a subsequent World Bank restructuring paper documents formal adaptive changes made during implementation. These figures are program-reported outputs rather than an independent outcome evaluation of device usage or livelihood impact.
As a large, multi-year infrastructure-led programme still in its rollout phase, DECIM's ultimate inclusion outcomes — actual device usage, digital-skills uptake, and income or service-access gains for targeted women and rural households — have not yet been independently evaluated, and Madagascar's overall internet penetration remains among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Read the full analysis: https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/telecom-investment-mergers/14843-madagascar-s-decim-to-receive-us-400m-credit-from-world-bank.html