- Madagascar has submitted a bill to Parliament to update its legal framework for cybercrime and strengthen penalties for offenses committed through digital technologies.
- The proposed law would impose two to 10 years in prison and fines ranging from 100,000 to 100 million ariary ($23 to $23,000), depending on the offense.
- Madagascar also plans to ratify the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, strengthening international cooperation on investigations and electronic evidence.
Madagascar is preparing to overhaul its cybercrime framework. On Friday, August 28, the government submitted to the National Assembly a bill designed to update rules governing offenses committed in the digital environment. It also submitted a bill authorizing the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime. Both texts have entered the parliamentary process.
Tougher penalties for digital offenses
Bill No. 042/2026 on cybercrime would strengthen penalties for several offenses committed through digital technologies, including attacks on computer systems, online fraud and identity theft. Proposed prison sentences range from two to 10 years, while fines would range from 100,000 to 100 million ariary ($23 to $23,000), depending on the nature of the offense.
The reform comes as Madagascar’s cybercrime framework still relies partly on Law No. 2014-006, adopted in June 2014. That legislation already defined several offenses, including fraudulent access to information systems and attacks on data.
However, digital usage has expanded significantly over the past 12 years. The widespread adoption of smartphones, digital financial services and online platforms has increased the number of channels that criminals can exploit.
New digital investigation unit
The proposed framework would also go beyond punishment. It would establish a Digital Protection and Investigation Unit (UPIN) tasked with detecting threats, supporting investigations and facilitating cooperation with foreign authorities.
This measure addresses one of the main challenges posed by cybercrime: perpetrators, victims, servers and electronic evidence can be located in different countries. Investigators therefore increasingly need mechanisms that allow them to obtain information and coordinate cases across borders.
Madagascar’s planned ratification of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, also known as the Hanoi Convention, follows the same approach. The UN General Assembly adopted the convention in December 2024 and opened it for signature in Hanoi in October 2025. The treaty seeks, among other objectives, to strengthen international cooperation in cybercrime investigations and the exchange of electronic evidence.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 72 countries had signed the convention by October 2025, including 21 African countries such as Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Togo.
However, signing the convention does not amount to ratification. Each country must complete its own domestic procedures before becoming a party to the treaty.
As administrative, financial and commercial services continue to move online, Madagascar is seeking to adapt its legal and institutional framework to offenses that can involve perpetrators, victims and evidence across multiple jurisdictions. The simultaneous submission of the two bills therefore combines stronger national legislation with an effort to integrate Madagascar more closely into international mechanisms for combating cybercrime.
Samira Njoya
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