Tracking Development - Rio Tinto - Qit Madagascar Minerals

The exploration & study Phase
The Global Development Alliance
A Growth Pole
In 2001, the Global Development Alliance (GDA) was
launched, establishing a public-private alliance between USAID
and QMM and contributing directly to the achievement of
priorities outlined in the PDR. The USAID-QMM alliance
set out to “address some of the root causes of poverty and
environmental degradation in the region of Fort Dauphin, one
of USAID’s priority eco-regions. The alliance also served to
bridge economic growth and natural resources conservation and
management.” Motivated by “the deep poverty of Malagasy
people, especially in the region of Fort Dauphin, exacerbated
by their vulnerability to recurrent natural disasters, continued
food insecurity, and shortcomings in government management
of social sector priorities,” USAID’s primary objective was
to “manage Madagascar’s rich natural resources, notably its
unique biodiversity, which is of immeasurable global importance,”
while QMM’s primary objective was to “ensure the mining
investment will serve as an economic engine for the region,
while also contributing to the long-term resolution of social
and environmental issues 9 .” QMM’s responsibilities included
supporting regional stakeholders in validating and finalising the
PDR and assisting communes in developing their communal
development plans. To support local communities manage
their natural resources, QMM agreed to help contribute to
the sustainable supply of wood and alternative energy sources
for the population. QMM also pledged to provide technical
assistance to the regional HIV/STI Coordination Committee
and guarantee Fort Dauphin’s use as a behavioural and
surveillance site.
The presence of QMM and the regional planning process
initiated through the CRD enabled the Anosy region to
become one of three Pôle Intégré de Croissance (PIC, or
Integrated Growth Poles) in the World Bank programme
beginning in 2005. The growth pole model linked public-private
development investments in three areas of Madagascar, Fort
Dauphin, Nosy Be and Antsirabe. The growth poles centred on
mining, public infrastructure, tourism and industrial parks and
were intended to have catalytic and demonstrative impacts on
other regions of Madagascar. To open up the isolated Anosy
region, facilitate growth in tourism and agribusiness and to
catalyse private sector growth in the mining sector, the World
Bank partially funded the construction of the Port of Ehoala,
as well as contributed to road construction, capacity building
and training programmes in Fort Dauphin. Additionally, the
CRD and regional planning process, including the formation
of the PDR, were heavily supported by the World Bank PIC
programme.
““The mining project had been designed to
function as one part of a multi-partnership
effort involving national, regional
and local governments, international
development and civil society organisations
and the Regional Development Committee 10 .”
QMM actively participated in regional development planning to avoid creating the isolated “enclaves” of
development that had characterised so many extractive industry investments in developing countries 11 .
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