ANTANANARIVO/TULEAR, MADAGASCAR, 08 March 2023 – Young people in Madagascar now have a free digital incubation space within UNFPA premises where they can go, to develop innovative ideas and projects on advancing UNFPA's mandate and the Sustainable Development Goals. The space dubbed ‘Innovation Room’ offers free access to a range of information and communication technology (ICT) tools and other support.
It was officially inaugurated this 07 March 2023 in Antananarivo, in the presence of Madagascar’s First Lady, the Minister of Technical Education and Vocational Training, key development partners, UN sister agencies, local authorities and young people.
The project comes to solve a number of infrastructural difficulties faced by youth in relation to internet access, lack of constant electricity supply and adapted ICT tools to learn, develop and share digital solutions. According to statistics from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2018, for every 100 inhabitants in Madagascar, only 0.12 have a fixed Internet subscription, representing approximately 33,600 inhabitants for the 28-million population.
“This situation leaves very limited possibilities to improve education and access to other innovative tools for a majority of these young people who constitute two third of the population, and especially for girls who do not usually have the needed support to pursue careers in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics” said UNFPA country Representative, Koffi KOUAME.
The Innovation Room in the capital Antananarivo, Analamanga region, with an annex in Tulear, Atsimo Andrefana region goes functional this 08 March 2023, with a call to submission for all interested youth aged 15 to 35.
Delighted to have his region in the Grand Sud included to pioneer the project, Governor Edally TOVONDRAINY of Atsimo-Andrefana, underlined that this “will help youths [here] to better build themselves and initiate innovative projects for the development of the region, which is the largest in Madagascar."
Chairing the inauguration, the First Lady of the Republic who also doubles as UNFPA’s Champion for the fight against GBV, Ms Mialy Rajoelina commended UNFPA for the initiative. “These spaces will contribute largely to ensure access to Digital Learning, especially for our young girls. Education does not only constitute a fundamental human right; it is also a guarantor of sustainable development for our society and our country," she added.
In 2022, the Madagascar country office won an Award at the global UNFPA Innovation Fair, in the Category of Innovation Dreamers for its submission – The Innovation Room - committing to place young people at the heart of innovation. The setting up and inauguration of this space marks the concretisation of these efforts.
UNFPA Madagascar Media contacts;
Melvis KIMBI, Communication : kimbi@unfpa.org
Hanta Andremanisa, Communication : andremanisa@unfpa.org
Yuko GOTO, Innovation Room Focal Point : yuko@unfpa.org
About UNFPA:
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.
