{"id":5068,"date":"2026-08-07T06:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=5068"},"modified":"2026-08-07T06:15:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:15:15","slug":"one-of-the-worlds-poorest-countries-spent-170-million-on-a-cable-car-system-that-nobody-uses-just-before-the-president-fled-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=5068","title":{"rendered":"One of the world\u2019s poorest countries spent $170 million on a cable car system that nobody uses, just before the president fled the country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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But the system ran for only a few weeks, and now the car-less cables hang unused above\u00a0Madagascar\u00a0\u2018s capital in what might be a $170 million mistake by one of the world\u2019s poorest countries.<\/p>\n

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The cable car system in Antananarivo was promoted and inaugurated by former\u00a0President Andry Rajoelina\u00a0before he was deposed in\u00a0a military coup late last year\u00a0following\u00a0youth-led protests\u00a0alleging widespread government failures.<\/p>\n

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He reasoned it was the best way to end the reliance on aging, overcrowded minibus taxis that create traffic jams stretching for hours, an annoyance for many in the island nation off east Africa. Light rail wouldn\u2019t work because of the area\u2019s marshlands, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntananarivo was built for 300,000 inhabitants. Now there are three million of us,\u201d Rajoelina said when the cable cars were unveiled in 2024.<\/p>\n

Rajoelina called the system\u2019s opening last year a landmark moment, like France building the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n

Residents ask why cable cars and not running water<\/h4>\n

Officials said the cable cars could carry up to 75,000 people a day, take 2,000 vehicles off the roads and cut commutes from up to three hours to about 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the route.<\/p>\n

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At the unveiling, Rajoelina and his prime minister rode above Antananarivo\u2019s steep hills and tightly packed neighborhoods. But few ordinary Madagascans followed.<\/p>\n

The unusual transit system, built over three years for around $173 million with loans\u00a0from France, has run into a common problem for Africa and its more than 1.5 billion people: affordability.<\/p>\n

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Officials set the fee for users at between 70 and 90 U.S. cents a trip \u2014 six to eight times the price to ride in a minibus. Many people have been unwilling to pay that in a country where the average monthly salary for a commuter is around $72, according to a 2022 report by the World Bank.<\/p>\n

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Poverty affects around 75% of Madagascar\u2019s population of 30 million people.<\/p>\n

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People chose money over convenience<\/h4>\n

Pieter Onderwater, a public transport planning consultant and guest lecturer at the Center for Transport Studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, said Madagascar\u2019s government and the cable car system\u2019s French developers may have missed how money is more important than convenience for most people on a poor continent.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously people will not use it because money is far more key than time,\u201d Onderwater said. \u201cThe price is six times higher than a conventional (minibus) taxi? Well then, we just sit in traffic because we know better things to do with that money.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cable cars also provoked anger from residents who for years had complained about a lack of basic public services like water and electricity. They questioned why those issues weren\u2019t addressed first.<\/p>\n

Some feared being left hanging during a power outage<\/h4>\n

Residents remain suspicious of the cable car project, which also faced electricity outages that often brought it to a halt.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn a city where they cannot even fix the roads, how can we trust being more than 20 meters (65 feet) above the ground when there is a power cut?\u201d said Erica, an Antananarivo shop owner who gave only her first name. \u201cAnd if something goes wrong, how long would it take them to fix it?\u201d<\/p>\n

During\u00a0the coup\u00a0that removed Rajoelina, some cable car stations were burned or otherwise damaged as people accused the government of being out of touch with their needs.<\/p>\n

A transitional government led by coup leader and\u00a0former army colonel Michael Randrianirina\u00a0took over in October but has not mentioned any plan for the cable cars. The government did not respond to questions.<\/p>\n

A consortium that built the system inspected it in March and submitted findings to Madagascar authorities \u201cto decide on the next steps,\u201d a French company that was part of it told the AP.<\/p>\n

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Transport is just one problem as Africa urbanizes quickly<\/h4>\n

Commuting in the capital is becoming more of a challenge.<\/p>\n

Antananarivo\u2019s population has increased by more than 10 times since the 1960s, spurred by rural-to-urban migration that is happening across Africa. Africa\u2019s urban population of 700 million people is expected to double by 2050, according to the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.<\/p>\n

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That brings huge demand for more public transport as well as other services like\u00a0housing, health, education, water and\u00a0electricity.<\/p>\n

And yet Africa has some of the world\u2019s least developed public transport systems despite some of the\u00a0fastest urbanization rates, according to Transport Africa, a research institution.<\/p>\n

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Onderwater said African governments have generally left transport to the private sector, which has proved relatively effective with the swarm of minibus taxis known as kombis in South Africa, matatus in Kenya and danfo in Nigeria that carry the vast majority of people to work.<\/p>\n

Some commuters in Antananarivo expressed wonder at the thought of being lifted above the daily grind in a cable car, but they were brought back to earth by concerns about cost, reliability, safety during\u00a0strong storms including cyclones\u00a0and other practicalities.<\/p>\n

Hery Ratsimbazafy, an office worker, said the cable cars \u2014 which don\u2019t go right into the city center \u2014 simply don\u2019t serve his needs: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help me get where I need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Associated Press writer Gerald Imray contributed from Cape Town, South Africa.<\/p>\n

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For more on Africa and development:\u00a0https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa-pulse<\/p>\n

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s\u00a0standards\u00a0for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at\u00a0AP.org.<\/p>\n

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Madagascar officials set the fee for users at between 70 and 90 U.S. cents a trip. 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