Madagascar Launches First National Humanitarian Hub for Cyclone Preparedness

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... MANAKARA, Madagascar: The Government of Madagascar has officially taken over the country’s first humanitarian hub, a new facility designed to strengthen emergency preparedness and speed up response to recurrent climate shocks along the cyclone-prone eastern and southern coasts. The hub, located in the eastern coastal city of Manakara, was established with support from the United Nations World Food Programme and funding from the European Union. It is intended to allow food, medicines and other life-saving supplies to be prepositioned ahead of emergencies, cutting response times when disasters strike. According to WFP, the facility builds national capacity to respond more effectively to cyclones, storms and floods. Tania Goossens, WFP Country Director in Madagascar, said the hub would help save lives by ensuring critical supplies are already in place before communities are cut off by damaged roads or extreme weather. The humanitarian hub was financed through a combined contribution of EUR 600,000 from the European Union and an additional EUR 200,000 from WFP. It consists of two steel mobile storage units with a total capacity of 1,000 metric tons for humanitarian supplies, alongside four office units that can accommodate up to eight staff members supporting coordination and logistics. For the European Union, the project reflects a shift towards anticipatory action in disaster management. EU Ambassador to Madagascar Roland Kobia stressed that emergency response must move beyond reacting after disasters occur, placing greater emphasis on prevention, preparedness and reducing impacts before crises escalate into humanitarian emergencies. Madagascar remains one of Africa’s most storm-exposed countries. During the 2024 to 2025 cyclone season, which runs from January to April, several tropical storms and cyclones caused deaths, injuries, displacement and widespread damage to homes, roads, crops and livestock, particularly in coastal and rural areas. National authorities say the Manakara hub marks a major step forward for disaster preparedness. General Gabriel Ramanantsoa, Director General of the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management, described the facility as a practical investment in faster, more coordinated and community-centred emergency response, supported by strong partnerships. The government-managed hub will be accessible to all humanitarian actors operating in the country. It supports Madagascar’s national emergency coordination policy by providing shared infrastructure to preposition essential supplies for rapid deployment to hard-to-reach and disaster-affected communities. The European Union has been a longstanding partner of WFP in Madagascar, contributing more than USD 29 million to humanitarian and development programmes. EU support has also sustained the WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Service in the country since 2020, helping to maintain access to remote areas during crises. As climate shocks intensify across the Indian Ocean region, investments like the Manakara humanitarian hub underline the growing importance of preparedness over reaction. For Madagascar, and for many African countries facing increasingly frequent climate emergencies, building systems before disaster strikes is becoming as vital as the response itself. In a young continent navigating climate vulnerability with limited resources, such forward-looking partnerships offer a realistic path towards resilience, dignity and locally led solutions that protect the most vulnerable. 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