War in the Middle East is pushing up the price of bitumen, the material used to make asphalt and road surfaces – and the effects are being felt across Africa, where few countries produce their own. Higher costs and longer delivery times are forcing firms from Madagascar to Guinea to Cameroon to renegotiate contracts, absorb rising expenses and rethink how they manage supplies.
In Madagascar, as in many countries on the continent, bitumen is not produced locally.
