Acknowledgements The Madagascar Country Opinion Survey is part of the Country Opinion SurveyProgram series of the World Bank Group. This report was prepared by the BusinessIntelligence (BI) team, led by José De Buerba (Senior External Affairs Officer) andSvetlana Markova (Senior External Affairs Officer). Yulia Danilina, Jessica Cameron,Sofya Gubaydullina,Qi Xue,and Irina Popovaoversawthe design, reporting, and BI acknowledges the significant contribution from the Madagascar country team and theindependent consulting firm COEFRessources. BI is grateful for the support from DianaStyvanley (External Affairs Officer) and Emma Touzetta Diariniaina (CommunicationsConsultant), who coordinated the survey-related activities from Antananarivo, Contents Objectives This survey was designed to assist the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in 1.OverallViews of the WBG:How familiar are stakeholders with the WBG? How much do they trust the WBG?What opinions do stakeholders have of the WBG regarding its effectiveness and relevance to development in Madagascar?Are these perceptions improving or declining? Do stakeholders feel that the WBG has changed for the better or the worse in 2.The WBG’s Work on Development Priorities:What areas of development are perceived to be the mostimportant?Has the WBG helped achieve the goals of its projects in these areas?Howdid these projects impact the people ofMadagascar, and how could the WBG have been more helpful? How do respondents perceive its operational effectiveness? 3.WBG Instruments:What do key stakeholders value the most regarding the WBG’s work in Madagascar? Whatopinion do key stakeholders have of WBG’s financial instruments and knowledge products? How are stakeholders using WBG 4.The WBG’s Engagement and Collaboration:How is the WBG perceived as a development partner inMadagascar? Are opinions improving or declining? How effective has the WBG been in facilitating the Government’s 5.Communications:What are the preferred communication channels, and do they differ between stakeholder groups?Do stakeholders recall any WBG messaging? What key topics do stakeholders recall? What information do stakeholders want Methodology Overview Fielded in April–July 2025 ▪763 potential participants were asked to complete the survey▪Respondents completed the questionnaire online or received itvia courier 318 participants (42% response rate) ▪75% from Capital Antananarivo▪61% have collaborated with the WBG within the past 3 years Compared to the FY21 Country Survey Results ▪309 participants (41% response rate)▪79% from Capital Antananarivo Executive Summary 2. The WBG’s Work on Development Priorities InFY25,stakeholders identified education,agriculture/foodsecurity,and energy as the key areas for the WBG’s support, 1.OverallViews of the WBG InFY25,stakeholders’overall perceptions of the WBG inMadagascarweresignificantlymorepositivecomparedtotheFY21CountrySurvey.Familiaritywith theWBG increased significantly,andtrustintheinstitutionalsoimproved—makingtheWBGoneof followedby health,transport infrastructure,and water/sanitation. SinceFY21,the importance of environment/natural resourcemanagementandclimatechangehasrisennotably,withmorethanfourtimesasmanyrespondentsselectingthemastopconcernsin themosttrustedpartnersinthecountry,rankedonparwiththeUNandabove theIMFandregionaldevelopmentbanks.Stakeholder Regardingspecific project work,95%of respondents involved inprojectsratedtheWBGashelpfulinachievingprojectgoals,with69%ratingitasveryhelpful. AlthoughstakeholdersinMadagascarratedtheWBG’srelevanceonparwithotherEasternandSouthernAfricancountriessurveyedinFY25,theirratingsfortrust and effectiveness werelower,andall Inopen-ended comments,respondents emphasized the need toimprovehuman capital development;increasing investment intransport,energy,and digital infrastructure;strengthening publicgovernanceand institutional capacity;supporting private sector threeindicatorswereratedlowerinMadagascarthaninotherIDAcountriessurveyedinFY25. Executive Summary 4. WBG Instruments 3.WBG’ Operational Effectiveness WhenaskedabouttheWBG’sreformeffortsoverthepasttwoyears,themajorityofallstakeholdersindicatedthattheWBGhadbecomesomewhatorsignificantlybetteratfulfillingitscoremissionofimprovingpeople’slives(56%)andimprovingthecountry’soverallbusinessenvironment(52%)inMadagascar. StakeholdersconsideredtheWBG’sfinancialresourcestobeitsgreatestvalue to Madagascar.They had the highest levels ofagreementthattheWBG’sfinancialinstrumentsmeetMadagascar’sneeds(mean=6.9,significantly improved sinceFY21).RespondentsalsohadmorepositiveviewsoftheWBG’s WBGclientsandpartnersidentifiedthemostnotablereform-relatedimprovementin the technical quality of WBG-supported projects,with61%ofrespondentsrecognizingpositivechangeinthisarea.Inaddition,amajorityofclientsandpartners(53%)feltthattheWBG Intheir qualitative comments,respondents urged the WBG to expandfundingforareassucha