Antsirabe

Antsirabe is a highland city south of Antananarivo and one of Madagascar’s principal secondary urban centres. Its position on the RN7 corridor links a compact central area with industrial, agricultural and residential districts that serve the wider Vakinakaratra region.

National urban analysis argues that Madagascar needs a stronger system of secondary cities rather than continued concentration in Antananarivo. Antsirabe has long been treated as part of this economic corridor: the World Bank’s Integrated Growth Poles programme assessed the Antananarivo–Antsirabe axis for transport, enterprise and urban infrastructure investment. More recent urbanisation work stresses the importance of better inter-city roads and planned space for transport as cities expand. For Antsirabe, the key issue is therefore not only growth, but maintaining efficient regional access while guiding outward urban development around existing services and employment.