Road rehabilitation-and access to those roads-is contentious in Madagascar.
In the past, criteria for road construction or rehabilitation were purely
economic. There was no discussion about the impact on local communities.
USAID helped two of Madagascar's six provinces reach out to constituents,
while helping build the capacity of civil society organizations to identify
common interests and negotiate. After intense negotiations, provincial
governments and constituents successfully defended their criteria in
workshops with central ministries and donors. Beginning in 2002, all
priority road rehabilitation programming will consider local community
impact.
All Roads Lead to the Community
