ITP Success case - Madagascar

From fragmentation to national ownership

By bringing key national institutions together around one shared change project, Madagascar is moving from scattered marine data toward a coordinated national governance system. This is improving planning processes and establishing the foundation for sustainable and accountable ocean management.

"Maritime Spatial Planning is now perceived as a lever for coordination and sustainability. Our experience shows that intersectoral collaboration is the key to a better-governed ocean.”

Fragmented marine data limiting effective planning

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Madagascar is evolving alongside major national initiatives such as the National Blue Economy Strategy, the Integrated Ocean Policy, and the National Spatial Planning Policy. Together they create a foundation for institutionalising marine data governance. As MSP progresses, access to coordinated marine data has become a critical enabler for effective planning and gover-nance. During the international training programme in MSP, fragmented marine data management across sectors was identified as a major barrier to MSP implementation. National institutions operated largely independently, with limited data sharing and coordination. At the same time, emerging policy frameworks created an opportunity to strengthen governance, collaboration, and data harmonisation for sustainable ocean management.

Strengthening marine data governance - a joint focus

Through the ITP MSP programme, participants from four ministries agreed on a shared vision: establishing an integrated data management system supporting MSP and the blue economy by 2026. Rather than separate institutional projects, the team implemented one joint change project to develop a national MSP data management framework. The aim was to improve accessibility integration, and coordination of marine and coastal data across sectors. Each institution contributed according to its mandate on policy advocacy, technical data management, intersectoral coordination, and awareness-raising to promote data-driven decision-making.

Towards a coordinated national marine data system

Through their participation in the ITP MSP 2024 programme, the Madagascar team strengthened the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance Cluster, particularly the MSP committee:

• Coordination improved
• Institutional roles became clearer
• The committee’s capacity to guide national MSP processes increased.

A national decision established that marine data will be managed by the Maritime Observatory within the Ministry of Decentralisation and Land and Territory Management (MDAT). This is an important step toward centralised, sustainable, government-owned data governance. Madagascar also improved its marine data system through the development of a National MSP Procedures Manual and updated marine atlases covering all eight coastal regions. These tools strengthened harmonisation, accessibility, and practical use of data for planning at national and regional levels. Overall, the project shifted data management from fragmented project-based initiatives toward an institutionalised governance approach embedded in national structures, supporting sustainability and long-term ownership.

Conditions that enabled the change

Collective learning and skills transfer

Participating in the ITP MSP programme created a shared technical language across institutions and improved understanding of MSP tools, legal frameworks, and data management methods.

Collaborative approach and shared vision

Each institution contributed with its expertise such as territorial coordination, maritime governance, economic sustainability, and ecosystem protection. This created a model of interinstitutional synergy.

Political support and technical backstopping

Strong leadership from the participating institutions ensured institutional legitimacy, while SwAM, NIRAS, and WIOMSA provided technical assistance and international visibility.

Favourable strategic momentum

Alignment between MSP, the Blue Economy Strategy, and the National Spatial Planning Scheme anchored the reform within national development priorities.

Strengthening MSP for the future

The team continues the work by drafting a national marine data management framework, strengthening the MSP Commission and the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance Cluster, and establishing a national ITP MSP alumni network. These efforts aim to consolidate MSP as a central tool for coordinated and sustainable maritime governance in Madagascar.