Madagascar

Introduction

Last week Madagascar took significant steps towards eradicating gender discrimination in its nationality law and eliminating statelessness.

The Indian Ocean island nation of 22 million people is famous for at least two things: its unique pristine biological diversity as well as its recurrent political turmoil, the most recent turn of which ended last January with the election of a new President.

When a Chinese businessman first approached Malagasy farmer Jean Manantsoa, 47, in April last year with an offer to lease his family rice fields, Jean had no idea of the untapped pockets of potential natural wealth beneath.

After the news broke out in late 2008 of the scandalous Daewoo Logistics project supported by leaders of the Malagasy state, and the change of the country's leadership soon after in early 2009, the granting of Malagasy land to investors was never questioned by the transitional government.

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