🇲🇬Madagascar
The world's fourth-largest island, the leading vanilla producer, nickel, cobalt, graphite, sapphires, 5,000 km of coastline and unique biodiversity. Madagascar is a frontier market of considerable potential.
Economic overview
Madagascar is an island-continent of 30 million people in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Asia, on the sea route linking the Gulf to Southern Africa. Its biodiversity, unique in the world, makes it an exceptional tourist destination, and its land produces most of the world's vanilla, cloves, lychees, fine cocoa and spices.
The subsoil is among the richest in the Indian Ocean: Ambatovy nickel and cobalt, one of Africa's largest mining projects, ilmenite, graphite, rare earths, chrome, gold and gemstones, including sapphires that make the island one of the world's leading producers. Rivers offer significant, still underdeveloped, hydro potential.
The country remains one of the world's poorest, with limited infrastructure and recurrent political instability, but it attracts patient investors in mining, export agriculture, tourism and energy. Ties with the UAE are developing, driven by gemstone and vanilla trading to Dubai.
Why invest in Madagascar
Vanilla and spices
The world's leading vanilla producer, cloves, pepper, lychees, fine cocoa: high-value products for Gulf and European markets.
Nickel, cobalt and graphite
Ambatovy, graphite and rare earth projects: the minerals of the energy transition.
Gemstones
Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, tourmalines: one of the world's leading producers, with active trading to Dubai and Bangkok.
Tourism and biodiversity
Lemurs, baobabs, Nosy Be beaches, national parks: a unique destination still under-equipped.
Strategic sectors
Vanilla, cloves, lychee, cocoa
Collection, processing and premium export.
Nickel, cobalt, graphite, ilmenite, gems
Mining, services, trading and stone cutting.
Nosy Be, parks, coasts
Resorts, lodges and hotels.
Hydro, solar
Dams and solar for a country where 30% of the population has electricity.
Shrimp, tuna
Shrimp aquaculture and processing.
Antananarivo, Nosy Be
Housing, offices and tourism property.
Opportunities for UAE investors
A frontier market for patient, well-supported investors.
- Vanilla and spices to the Gulf
Collection, packaging and brands for Dubai.
- Gemstones
Trading and cutting with traceability to Dubai.
- Tourism in Nosy Be
Resorts and hotels in a tourism free zone.
- Graphite and rare earths
Equity in projects under development.
- Energy
Hydro and solar for mining sites and cities.
Risks and how we manage them
Crises are recurrent. We secure contracts through international arbitration.
Roads, ports and power are limited. Every project includes its own logistics.
The island is exposed. We build in standards and insurance.
Foreigners cannot own land; long leases are the solution. We secure them.
Legal framework and ties with the UAE
Investing in Madagascar
- Investment Law and EDBM: one-stop shop.
- Free zones and free enterprises with exemptions.
- Mining code revised in 2023.
- Long leases for foreigners.
- Recognised international arbitration.
The Dubai connection
- Flights via Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Mauritius.
- Gem and vanilla trading to Dubai.
- Growing UAE interest.
- Malagasy community in the UAE.
Dubai as your operating base
For a UAE investor, Madagascar is best worked from Dubai. The city offers the tools that are often missing on the ground: a Free Zone holding company to carry the stake, banks used to African flows, a recognised international arbitration framework, tax treaties and investment protection agreements, and regular flights to the continent. For an entrepreneur or institution from Madagascar, Dubai is symmetrically the gateway to Gulf capital, commodity buyers and Asian industrial partners. ABC Consultancy sits in the middle of that bridge: we know both shores and we speak to both.
How ABC Consultancy supports you
A confidential 45-minute call to understand your objectives, ticket size, horizon and risk appetite. We tell you whether the project makes sense before going any further.
A written note that sets the perimeter: sector, deal format, partners to target, timeline, study budget and deliverables. It serves as the engagement contract.
Identification of partners, assets and institutional counterparts on the ground. Every counterparty is checked: titles, management, track record, reputation, ongoing disputes.
Meetings with authorities, partners and sites. We prepare, accompany and translate every exchange, then produce a decision-ready report.
Legal and financial set-up between Dubai and the country with our partner lawyers and auditors: holding, joint venture, shareholder agreement, commercial contracts, full due diligence.
Governance, reporting, relations with the authorities, renewal of approvals. We remain your trusted contact for as long as the transaction lives.
Who we work with
UAE funds and family offices
You want exposure to Madagascar with a reliable local partner and a Dubai holding structure. We source, vet and structure.
Industrial groups and traders
You need to secure a supply chain, a plant or a commercial outlet in Madagascar. We organise the mission, the approvals and the contracts.
Local institutions and companies
You represent a ministry, an agency or a company from Madagascar and are looking for capital and partners in the Gulf. We prepare your file and open the doors.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner own land in Madagascar?
No, but they can sign a long lease of up to 99 years, which secures farm, tourism and industrial projects.
Can gemstones be exported legally?
Yes, through approved exporters and with mining ministry permits. We structure compliant chains.
What is the minimum ticket to invest in Madagascar with ABC Consultancy?
There is no fixed threshold: it depends on the sector and the format. An equity stake in a agriculture project runs into millions of dollars, whereas a trading or real estate operation can start much lower. In the first conversation we tell you honestly whether your budget allows a serious transaction.
How long does a transaction take?
Expect three to six months between the scoping note and signature for a trading or real estate operation, and nine to eighteen months for a mining project requiring approvals, in-depth due diligence and structured financing.
How is ABC Consultancy paid?
Through engagement fees set in the scoping note, possibly completed by a success fee at signing. We never take hidden remuneration from a counterparty: our only loyalty is to you.
Do I need a Dubai company to invest in Madagascar?
It is not mandatory, but it is often the best solution: a Free Zone holding carries the stake, benefits from tax treaties and protection agreements, and repatriates dividends within a clear framework. We set it up with you.
A project in Madagascar ?
Describe it in a few lines. We get back to you within 48 hours for a first confidential conversation.
Or directly: WhatsApp +971 545 995 343 · contact@africabusiness.club