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Good practice Imported

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

Madagascar · Antananarivo · See the Madagascar profile · See the Antananarivo profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 55% 72/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A $400M World Bank-financed programme bundles rural electrification with subsidised internet-connected devices in Madagascar, targeting 3.4 million new internet users; a ~$24M digital-inclusion window has facilitated 664,000 devices, 400,000 earmarked for women and girls.

33.7 %
Electricity access rate (baseline)
67 %
Electricity access target
3.4 million
New internet users targeted
664,000 devices
Internet-connected devices facilitated (as of 2025)
400,000 devices
Devices earmarked for women and girls
24 US$ million
Digital-inclusion funding window
400 US$ million
Total IDA credit
Digital and Energy Connectivity for Inclusion in Madagascar (DECIM) — Gender-Targeted Device Access Bundled with Rural Electrification

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Government of Madagascar / World Bank (International Development Association)
Period
2023–ongoing
Keywords
connectivity, digital devices, rural electrification, gender digital divide, digital inclusion

Context

Madagascar has among the lowest electricity (33.7%) and internet penetration rates in the world, with a pronounced gender gap in digital device ownership, 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.

Objectives

DECIM 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 (roughly $24 million) subsidises internet-connected devices, with 400,000 of a reported 664,000 devices earmarked for women and girls, alongside affordability subsidies for female-headed households and women-led businesses.

Results

As of 2025 reporting, the programme had facilitated access to roughly 664,000 internet-connected digital devices and continued fibre-optic and electrification rollout.

Conclusions

As a large, multi-year infrastructure programme still in rollout, DECIM's ultimate inclusion outcomes — device usage, digital-skills uptake, income or service-access gains — have not yet been independently evaluated, and Madagascar's overall internet penetration remains among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — A $400 million World Bank IDA credit, including a dedicated $24 million digital-inclusion window, is a very-high-cost, large-scale national infrastructure programme.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Approved in April 2023 with multi-year electrification and connectivity targets and an active 2026 restructuring review — a long, multi-year rollout.
Staffing & skills
Government of Madagascar, World Bank (International Development Association)

Conditions for success

  • bundling electrification with digital-device subsidies
  • explicit gender earmarking (400,000 of 664,000 devices for women and girls)
  • adaptive restructuring during implementation

Common failure modes

  • figures are programme-reported outputs, not independently evaluated outcomes
  • Madagascar's overall internet penetration remains among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa despite the programme

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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