Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world situated off the southeast coast of Africa. Having developed in isolation, the island nation is famed for its unique wildlife. The total area of Madagascar is 592,800 km2 and it had a population of 25.6 million in 2017. The capital is Antananarivo and French is the official language.

After years of political and economic instability, magnified by the military coup in 2009, Madagascar is slowly recovering. The island is still a very poor country in 2018. The main economic resources of Madagascar are tourism, textiles, agriculture and mining. The economy is largely driven by the secondary sector (export processing zones, agro-industry, fisheries, and metal and wood industries) and the service sector (banking, tourism, transport, insurance and construction). Agricultural products (vanilla, coffee, cacao, tobacco) contribute to more than 70% to the country’s exports. Madagascar is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including cyclones, droughts, and flooding. Madagascar has one of the world's largest reserves of titanium, as well as important reserves of chromate, coal, iron, cobalt, copper, nickel and sapphire.

Only 17% of the country has access to electricity. Madagascar’s electricity mainly comes from hydroelectric and thermal production. Although the hydroelectric potential of the country is tremendous, its exploitation remains limited. A majority of Madagascar’s renewable energy potential remains unharnessed. The country has high hydro, solar, and wind potential and considerable biomass resources. In its New Energy Policy (NEP), the government identified an ambition to produce 85% of the country’s power from renewable sources by 2030.

The rural areas predominantly use firewood and charcoal as fuel sources. Madagascar has a large solar energy potential. Almost all regions of Madagascar receive over 2,800 hours of sunshine per year, with the daily solar radiation ranging from 1,500 to 2,100 kWh/m2. PV systems are utilized for powering public buildings such as health clinics, as well as off-grid community electrification solutions.