Furious and martial. Head of State Michaël Randrianirina has never been as intense as he was yesterday. Irritated by the persistent power outages in Toamasina, Mahajanga, and Antsiranana despite the purchase of generators for Jirama, the leader of the Refondation did not mince his words. He addressed the issue directly, criticizing the supplier responsible for electricity in these three cities. He even went further by giving the supplier one week to restore power. In a display of patriotism and sovereignty, the Head of State was clear: if this company does not want to work in Madagascar and for the Malagasy people, it should pack its bags.
He provided details regarding electricity supply in Antsiranana, where the city’s demand is 11 MW; the partner is supposed to provide 18 MW but is only delivering 3 MW. Jirama has been paying for the equivalent of 65 MW for years without interruption.
This is far from an isolated case, as contracts between Jirama and its suppliers are all of the same nature. Jirama pays for the declared capacity, which is often at least double the actual power supplied. It is clear that there is a major financial scheme benefiting partner companies and certain Jirama executives.
The Head of State affirmed yesterday that contracts between Jirama and its partners must be reviewed. In 2019, former Prime Minister Christian Ntsay observed the situation firsthand in Ambohimanambola and attempted to renegotiate contract clauses. Suppliers remained inflexible simply because Jirama owes them significant amounts in arrears. To avoid a total blackout, the State chose to keep a low profile.
Suppliers even went to court to thwart State requisitions without success. This may only be the tip of the iceberg.
In 2024, the State announced it had cleared all of Jirama’s debts, estimated at 3,000 billion Ariary. The education budget had to be cut to pay this astronomical sum. Yet, the problem remains. Load shedding only subsided during elections or international summits. At the time, some voices within Jirama claimed they never saw that money.
One of two things is happening: either the money left the State treasury and vanished between Antaninarenina and Ambohimanambola, or it was credited to Jirama’s account but was not used to settle arrears. The problem is therefore financial rather than technical. In either case, the result is the same. Electricity is lacking (it has been cut since 7:00 PM yesterday in Ambohibao Bongatsara), even in the capital. With insecurity and load shedding, everyone is living under high tension.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-21 06:41:52 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/haute-tension.html