Kenyan Firm Wins Deal for Madagascar Toll Highway

Gabeire A Group (GAG), a Kenyan construction firm, has been hired to build a 260 km road linking Malagasy capital, Antananarivo, with the port city of Toamasina.

The Antananarivo–Toamasina toll highway project, with a budget of at least Sh130 billion, will deliver a four-lane road that will reduce the travel distance between the two cities by 110 km, cutting the average travel time from 8 to 10 hours to about three hours.

As the first toll highway in Madagascar, the project represents a significant step toward enhancing connectivity and progress in the island nation.

The project, which is being built in phases, began in December 2022, just a month after the Malagasy government signed a deal with Egyptian public works group Samcrete, associated with Orascom.

Phase one of the project, which was expected to be finalized by the end of 2023, had 20 km of the planned toll highway constructed as of May last year.

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At the signing of the deal with Samcrete, Madagascar expected the project to cost Sh120 billion, 80% of which would be financed through external sources.

The remaining 20% would be funded through state funds.

The involvement of GAG reflects the potential of Kenyans to contribute to the growth of the continent, according to Rebecca Miano, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Trade, and Industry.

“Kenya’s labour force stands as the cornerstone of our nation, recognized globally for its excellence. It is a source of immense pride and serves as the bedrock of our economy,” Ms. Miano stated in Nairobi at the project’s launch event.

GAG, headquartered in Parklands, Nairobi, markets itself as a construction and construction technology consultancy, specializing in providing solutions to building and construction-related challenges using the latest construction technologies.

Previously, the company has undertaken road construction projects in Togo and Djibouti. It has also been involved in the construction of major residential projects in Kenya, including the landmark Sakarya Complex in Westlands, Nairobi.

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