Madagascar does not have the Eiffel Tower that Paris in France is famous for; it does not have the Statue of Liberty that New York in the United States is proud of; it does not have the Great Wall of China or the Pyramid of Egypt that attract many tourists to travel there, relics made only by the hand of man. But the unique treasure of Madagascar, which has existed for nearly 50 million years, are the lemurs.

While the panda of China and kiwi of New Zealand are famous, as are the kangaroo of Australia, lemurs are inarguably Madagascar's golden goose. To this day, Madagascar hosts 112 species of lemurs, all of which are native to the country and account for 20 percent of the world's primates. All lemurs use natural forest as their habitat, but less than 10 percent of the natural forest remains today. The endangerment of these lemurs is therefore very high as 95 percent of them are already threatened with extinction.

All lemurs are protected species and are legally protected, however there are still those who hunt them for food and livestock. However, the biggest problem they face and cause their extinction is mainly fire. Each year, more than 30,000 hectares of forest are burned and it is believed that many lemurs die as a result. As an example, the location of the smallest primate on the earth, Microcebus berthae in the protected area of Menabe Antimena, where the famous baobab avenues are found, is likely to disappear within the next 4 years.

Since October 2014, we have been celebrating the World Lemur Festival and the National Lemur Day has been announced by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to be celebrated every last Friday of October since 2020. Indeed, the protection of lemurs is the duty and responsibility of all citizens. All citizens must know that they are a national treasure and in 2021, the theme chosen was: “Lemurs: Neither food nor livestock but a pillar of the forest.”

As part of the school program, from kindergarten on, Malagasy children must be introduced to the unique treasures of their country, including lemurs. People must be made aware that they are not allowed to hunt, eat or breed them without proper authorization.

We must continue to promote nature tourism to see lemurs and encourage people to enjoy these natural resources.

Like many countries that use their distinctive animals as a republican logo such as the American bold eagle; Senegalese lions; Ivorian elephants etc. lemurs should also be the emblem of the Malagasy Republic, not the zebu which is not indigenous to Madagascar. Likewise with the logos of the Gendarmerie, the Military Engineering and the University of Antananarivo, which are still the zebu, they should be changed into lemurs, an animal indigenous and unique to Madagascar.

In addition to being a valuable resource specific to Madagascar, lemurs are also a pillar of the forest as they are key agents of pollination and seed dispersal. Some tree species must pass through the bowels of lemurs for the native tree to grow quickly.

Madagascar without lemurs would not be Madagascar. Therefore let us protect the lemurs.

Figures from 2015 showed that 64 percent of Madagascar's population is under 20 years old. In other words, Madagascar's population is almost entirely young. In 10 years from now, here is what will happen: Either they will become a great concern for Madagascar, or they will become a guarantee of development for the country.

Madagascar is a rich country in many ways. The natural resources (animals and plants) and the mineral and marine resources that exist here are what these young people need to manage because the current extreme poverty of the Malagasy people is not worthy of this country and causes young Malagasy to flee their homeland.

What comes to mind when you say youth is strength and power; and when education is provided and valued, knowledge also comes to mind. This knowledge should lead to sustainable development. However, it will be difficult to develop a country if the youth who are supposed to be the guarantors of development are illiterate (for example illiterate). So, there are these basic conditions that government officials must prioritize because they are the foundation of development. Development of these young people so that they feel that they are not a burden for their society but agents of development.

1. Educational Aspects

It is the duty of the government to make education important by building adequate and quality schools and by training educators to manage the schools in place. It is within the field of education that all the structures and foundations can be found in order for children and the Youth to learn about the resources available in Madagascar (What types of resources are available in Madagascar? The pressures they face, etc.). Management skills and the introduction of "entrepreneurship" must be included in the development of Malagasy youth as particular skills are necessary for the development of management skills. Knowing the treasures of this land and their values leads to love and only those who know can protect them.

It is true that each child may have different interests and abilities, but all students need some basic knowledge, so no matter where they would like to work, there should be a spirit of cooperation that always pushes them towards development.

Education in ethics and civism is also very important in the development of human dignity.

2. Promoting entrepreneurship rather than just waiting for a job

Young Malagasy people often think that it is better to study first so that once they graduate, they could look for a job (rather than create one). Not only is it already challenging for most to find a job, but the few who do get one still need a very long time before mastering it because the world of work is a new field for them. Moreover, most of the time the work they have to perform has nothing to do with the study they have pursued before, and therefore it makes it difficult for them to manage people (personnel management) even if they possess high degrees.

There are actually manageable resources in the local area (e.g., forests and/or beaches or cultural heritage sites that can be used for tourism; oceans that can be exploited; beaches that can be cultivated; resources that can be recycled and sold for income; beekeeping, etc.), but if these young people do not know how to team up, immigrants or businessmen will be the ones who will make profits from these resources that the local youth are unaware of.

Young people who are ready to accomplish things must be able to form an organization and work together to develop projects that can be funded by the banks. This has been done before and has worked but the teaching of skills and knowledge should be provided (e.g., leadership skills, good governance, conflict management, etc.) to succeed effectively without seeking advanced skills and degrees. As a community-based society, Malagasy youth, especially those in the rural areas need to be encouraged to nurture the love for creativity and the creative spirit (spirit of innovation) through education.

3. Encouraging to take on challenges

Even if people possess the strength and knowledge but are not trained to meet the challenges, it will be difficult to really believe that they can make a difference. It is education that leads to having a competitive spirit and always aims for the higher purposes in life. As an illustration: to insist that Madagascar should stop importing rice for example. This is the goal that we need them to set and we provide them with the tools they need in addition to the knowledge they already have so that they start with what they have first and they can still stay out of debt.

There is often a lot of granite and many youths in the city, but the roads are still in very poor conditions.  However, these young people can get together to create jobs using these stones so that they can both create jobs and create benefits for their own town, etc.

We need to conquer the attitude of most young Malagasy today, their tendency to simply wait for an offer and the thought that they cannot create something extraordinary without a high school diploma. The resources that we can exploit without harming the environment must be converted into income for the improvement of individuals' lives and the nation as a whole. He must realize that he does not need to be in another country to get a good, peaceful and prosperous life as a young person.

I have been through a lot in my life. There came the sweet season but there were also the bitter ones that became a lesson that led me to success which I would summarize by defining what retirement means to me:

“For me, retirement is not a simple matter of age. Some people are still young, but they are no longer capable of critical thinking; I consider them "retired”. Others are well past retirement age, but still think actively and critically; I do not consider them "retired" at all.”

So, what Madagascar expects from its youth is not that they would become a burden for this country, but that they would become agents of positive change in all aspects. Smart, intelligent, confident, and supportive. Not people who are always dependent on others or who just imitate what they see abroad but, youth who will respect and support the Malagasy culture. They will not be ashamed of being Malagasy whether it is in the use of the Malagasy language in academic learning, in their daily lives, or in following Malagasy traditional customs and way of clothing.