Challenges and successes in Madagascar

Our work at IGN brings both challenges and successes, and often both together. Take Madagascar, where IGN’s intervention and advocacy benefited 13.8 million people with iodized salt.

But despite the progress, a 2024 survey found that about 20% of salt is still not iodized, and there are still regions where populations, including pregnant women, continue to be deficient.

The intention under a USAID-funded UNICEF project was to provide training to the salt producers as well as government control agency staff to address issues of quality assurance and optimal production and fortification practices. But this activity was threatened due to the cancellation of USAID programs earlier this year.

The government and UNICEF asked IGN to take on these activities.  We were able to do so thanks to the Rapid Response Fund launched by The Life You Can Save and Founders Pledge to ensure that high-impact organizations could continue to deliver interventions in global health, extreme poverty and humanitarian aid.

With their support, we retrained national and provincial government staff, as well as salt producers, to implement salt quality assessment and control, in collaboration with UNICEF.

The training was successful.  But a planned visit this month to work with government and other national partners on safeguarding the sustainability of the salt iodization program had to be postponed because of political unrest, which escalated further this past weekend.

Another challenge we faced in Madagascar is the rising cost of potassium iodate, placing the product out of reach of many producers.  Historically, Japan has donated potassium iodate to Madagascar but wanted to place this on a more sustainable path.

We are working to do this through a revolving fund in Madagascar that pools resources to allow central procurement of potassium iodate, which is then sold to salt producers on a no-profit, no-loss basis, replenishing the fund for future purchases. To strengthen the revolving mechanism, the Japan Industries Association will make an initial donation of potassium iodate, while encouraging Madagascar to make this fund sustainable to safeguard iodine nutrition for the future.

Programs are continuing, and IGN is working to ensure that the investments that donors have made in Madagascar are optimally used to benefit its population.