Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina Named Winner of Babacar Ndiaye Super Prize 2023 | African Development Bank

The Africa Road Builders Selection Committee has named Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina as the winner of the prestigious Babacar Ndiaye Trophy for his commitment to infrastructure development in the island nation. He succeeds Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, who won the award in 2022.

According to a press release from the commission, members elected President Rajoelina at a meeting in Dakar on April 28, 2023, “for his personal leadership, commitment and investment to provide Madagascar with a mobility infrastructure fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The commission cited the construction of the Iarivo ring road, the highway that surrounds the capital Antananarivo, as the symbol of sustainable mobility infrastructure built by the Malagasy leader. The highway has pedestrian and bicycle lanes along the roads. It also has secure bus stops and rubbish dumps.

The works also include the expansion of Iarivo airport, including facilities for people with reduced mobility and improved car parks. Rajoelina’s investments also extend to strengthening transport connectivity in rural areas.

President Rajoelina will receive his trophy on May 26, 2023, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt,” the press release said.

The Babacar Ndiaye Trophy, also known as the Super Prize, is sponsored by the African Development Bank Group and awarded by Acturoutes, a platform that provides information on Africa’s infrastructure and road network, and the Media for Infrastructure and Finance organization in Africa (MIFA), a network of African journalists specialized in road infrastructure.

The award was created in honor of Babacar Ndiaye, president of the African Development Bank Group, from 1985 to 1995. Each year, the Africa Road Builders Selection Committee assesses ambitious completed projects that impact the mobility of people in Africa.

Past winners of the award, since its launch in 2016, have included heads of state from Morocco, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon (2016), Senegal, Rwanda (2017), Kenya (2018), Gambia (2019), Egypt (2020), Nigeria (2021) and Tanzania (2022).