France and Madagascar Reinforce Partnership During Macron’s Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron undertook a tour of island-states in the south-west of the Indian Ocean at the end of April 2025. His initial itinerary included Mayotte, Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius, but the final leg is Mauritius was cancelled at the last minute in order for him to attend the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis.

Macron was in Madagascar from 23 to 24 April 2025 and took part in the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Summit with other heads of state or government of member countries. In Madagascar, he witnessed the signing of several accords in the field of Agriculture, Education, Energy and Health.

In particular, the Global Partnership for Education will provide EUR 25 million to support basic education in Madagascar. The AFD and EU will provide another EUR 16 million to develop tertiary and technical education with special consideration for gender equality, economic inclusion in order to minimize the mismatch between training and the job market.

Expertise France, the technical arm of the AFD, signed an agreement to reinforce its presence in Madagascar. By the end of 2025, Experts France, in partnership with the EU, will have worked on projects worth EUR 50 million in Madagascar.

Finally, France finally approved the participation of EDF in the shareholding of CGHV, the Independent Power Producer (IPP) which will implement the Volobe Hydropower Plant (HPP) and which has a Power Purchase Agreement (#PPA) with JIRAMA.

Macron also expressed interest in the #CriticalMinerals of Madagascar and indicated that a possible collaboration to exploit the hydrocarbon potential in the Mozambique Channel might be open for further discussion along with the issue of sovereignty of certain outer islands.