The Ministry of Interior and Decentralization has provided clarifications on the application procedures for the housing allowance intended for agents of decentralized territorial collectivities. While the decree now authorizes an amount of up to 200,000 ariary, its implementation will depend on decisions made by municipal councils and the financial capacity of each entity.
Adopted during the Council of Ministers on June 10, 2026, Decree No. 2026-1476 sets the amount of this allowance between 14,000 and 200,000 ariary for civil servants, agents of decentralized territorial collectivities, and those of public institutions.
During a press conference, the Minister of Interior and Decentralization, Hanitra Velonjara Tiaray Rakotonandrasana, reiterated that decentralized territorial collectivities possess administrative and financial autonomy. The amount of the allowance will therefore be determined by the communal or municipal council, based on the resources of each collectivity. The ministry has also published an explanatory note detailing the payment procedures for this allowance.
On the side of municipal agents, reservations remain regarding the feasibility of this measure. The president of the Autonomous Union of the Urban Commune of Antananarivo (CUA), Nirintsoa Jaona Clément, believes that the central State should provide specific funding for this allowance. According to him, a municipality cannot create new budgetary resources during the fiscal year to meet this new burden. Otherwise, it will be necessary to wait for the next budget vote by the municipal council, which may eventually decide to increase certain revenues, particularly through local taxation.
He also specifies that the CUA has approximately 4,000 agents, including 250 employees on fixed-term contracts (ECD). According to him, only tenured agents with a civil service registration number should benefit from this allowance, while ECDs would not be eligible.
For the ministry, this reform is part of improving the working conditions of public agents and progressively strengthening decentralization. Its effective implementation will now depend on the budgetary choices of each municipality.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-30 06:08:57 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/agents-communaux-letat-clarifie-les.html
