Bloomberg learned that Madagascar without a tender will buy generators in Russia

The government of Madagascar has allowed state utility Jirama to purchase diesel generators directly from a Russian company, bypassing normal tender procedures. Bloomberg reports.

The corresponding resolution was adopted on October 6. Under the agreement, Jirama, which is responsible for Madagascar’s power supply and water system management, will acquire 18 generators from a company designated Malmehservice. The country's energy ministry did not elaborate on the details of the deal in a statement.

Bloomberg notes that power shortages have been a major problem in Madagascar for many years. It was one of the causes of popular protests in the autumn of 2025, which led to a coup d’etat. The new government has taken steps to secure fuel supplies for its utilities and ended a 25-year agreement under which private companies bought fuel and diesel for Jirama directly from China.

In the autumn of 2025, amid protests, Madagascar President Andri Rajoelina dissolved the government, and then left the country, the military came to power. The new president was the head of the corps of the personnel department of the army, Mikael Randrianirina.

After the coup in October 2025, Madagascar began to strengthen relations with Russia.

Bloomberg noted that in February, Madagascar’s new president, Michael Randrianirina, made his first state visit to Moscow, rather than to France, which was traditionally oriented by the state and whose colony was until 1960. During the visit, Randrianirina met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called Madagascar an important partner in Africa.

In April, Bloomberg wrote that a pro-Russian political infrastructure is being formed in Madagascar, including the Friends of Russia movement, which advocates rapprochement with Moscow and the BRICS countries. This became a tool for the Madagascar authorities to balance the influence of France and the EU, analysts noted. The agency also linked the establishment of ties between Russia and Madagascar with the location of the island: it is located near the Mozambique Strait, through which a third of the world’s crude oil passes