The African Development Bank has approved a $165m loan to Madagascar to build roads and bridges to boost its economy.

Roads will be improved in two southern regions, Atsimo Andrefana and Menabe. This includes upgrading a 78km stretch of road between Bevoay and Morombe, which passes through important agricultural areas.

The loan will also fund the reconstruction of a bridge over the Manombo river in the southwest to create two, new, two-lane spans.

As well as physical infrastructure, the project is designed to improve the broader economic ecosystem, improving customs, port activities, freight, research and technology.

The funding will be provided by the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional lending arm.

Adam Amoumoun, head of the bank’s Madagascar office, said the work would boost regional trade, attract investment, and create opportunities for local people to sell crops, livestock and fish.

Solomon Quaynor, a group’s vice president, added: “These roads will directly connect rural communities to markets, healthcare, and education while indirectly sparking entrepreneurship, boosting trade, and empowering women and youth with sustainable employment.”