On 24 April, Madagascar hosted the 5th Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) summit in capital city Antananarivo, marking the forum’s return to high-level regional diplomacy after more than a decade. Organised by the Malagasy government, the gathering convened leaders from France – represented by Reunion Island – Mauritius, the Comoros and the Seychelles, alongside roughly thirty partner country and observer delegations.
Building on March’s IOC Ministerial Conference on Food Security and Nutrition in Antananarivo, the summit placed food security and sovereignty at the heart of its packed agenda. Beyond food, participants addressed a broad range of critical regional priorities, including maritime security, sustainable resource management, climate resilience and deeper cooperation across health, education and economic development.
Marked by the signing of the Antananarivo Declaration – a new cooperation agreement – the IOC summit highlights Madagascar’s rising leadership in a region of growing strategic importance on the ecological, economic and security fronts. Under President Andry Rajoelina’s leadership, Madagascar is positioning itself as a central player in the Indian Ocean region’s long-term security and sustainable development.
Indian Ocean at world’s strategic crossroads
Once limited to its five founding members, the four decade-old IOC now includes major observer members including the EU, China and India – an ongoing dynamic driven by mounting climate threats, geopolitical tensions and economic opportunities. Further reflecting the region’s ascent on the global stage, French President Emmanuel Macron represented Reunion Island at the summit – marking the first French head of state to visit Madagascar in two decades – following the previous day’s high-level talks with Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina.
Expanded diplomatic engagement is becoming indispensable in a region that has rapidly moved to the centre of global competition. Ongoing instability in the Red Sea fueled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels has thrust the Indian Ocean, and its Mozambique Channel in particular, into the spotlight as a critical artery for global maritime trade – a shipping mode responsible for over 80% of goods traded worldwide. Furthermore, beneath the Mozambique Channel’s waters, untapped reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals are drawing increasing attention from global superpowers, illustrated by China and Russia’s growing ambitions across this maritime corridor.
While food security and sovereignty dominated the official agenda, the IOC summit’s thematic focus extended to a range of critical and interconnected issues, from maritime security and climate change to economic cooperation. Discussed via both bilateral and multilateral channels, these discussions captured the complex realities of a region facing growing pressures, paving the way for more dynamic collaboration ahead.
Antananarivo’s potential underscored by promising new agreements
At the conclusion of the IOC summit, the closed-door session of Heads of State and Government resulted in the unanimous adoption of the Antananarivo Declaration, a bold new blueprint reaffirming a high-level political commitment to enhanced regional collaboration. The Declaration notably outlines an ambitious roadmap to achieve food self-sufficiency by 2030, establishes a coordinated food crisis response mechanism and calls for the mobilisation of innovative financial resources to support the region’s priority initiatives.
Bringing this new regional vision to life will certainly require ambitious investment commitments and trade partnerships, with France particularly well-placed to support Madagascar and facilitate the latter’s contribution to the wider IOC region. In 2023, trade between the two countries surpassed the €1 billion-threshold – a relationship centred on Madagascar’s textile and agri-food exports and France’s pharmaceutical and IT exports. What’s more, driven by the local presence of French multinationals like Total, Bouyges and Vivendi, France’s direct investments in Madagascar amounted to roughly €220 million in 2022.
During his bilateral meeting with President Macron on 23 April, President Andry Rajoelina expressed his wish for France – which he described as “always close” to his country – to “invest even more” given Madagascar’s “immense potential.” This call has not fallen on deaf ears: President Macron and President Rajoelina have announced a series of bold agreements set to significantly reinforce economic ties, with the former accompanied by a delegation of French business leaders prepared to help “lay the foundations for solid partnerships in strategic sectors for the island.”
Madagascar’s energy transition, digital transformation and renewable infrastructure will be at the heart of this growing cooperation. Among the talks’ most significant outcomes is the announcement of French energy giant EDF’s acquisition of a 37.5% stake in Madagascar’s largest hydropower project, the €600 million Volobe Dam. This joint venture with Madagascar’s Axian Group, led by businessman Hassanein Hiridjee, marks a major step in President Rajoelina’s green electrification drive underpinning his administration’s broader vision of inclusive and sustainable development.
Beyond energy, the Rajoelina-Macron talks addressed bilateral agreements spanning digital technology, infrastructure and tourism – other key pillars of Madagascar’s development vision. What’s more, Macron has called for a rare earth minerals partnership capitalising on Madagascar’s extensive reserves under its Mozambique Channel waters.
Andry Rajoelina administration’s cross-cutting maritime agenda
Echoing a major priority of the IOC summit, the French president has also advocated for greater maritime and security cooperation with Madagascar – a space in which the latter is particularly well-placed to lead on at the regional level. Under President Rajoelina, Antananarivo has adopted a comprehensive maritime security agenda spanning sustainable economic growth, blue economy, climate resilience and participation in joint military engagements, recognising that the region’s economic prosperity hinges on its long-term stability.
In addition to strengthening ties with Western partners, President Rajoelina’s Madagascar has deepened its cooperation with leading Asian economies in the Indo-Pacific amid the maritimisation of trade and geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea. Crucially, complementing these endeavours with a French rapprochement aligns with Antananarivo’s ambitions to assume an enhanced position in maritime trade routes.
Domestically, Madagascar aims to build a thriving blue economy, balancing the exploitation of its maritime resources with environmental stewardship. Established in 2021, the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy has
already unveiled a national action plan for sustainable small-scale fisheries, while the country is preparing its first blue bond to fill a major funding gap for ocean health and climate resilience initiatives.
Paired with ecological conservation, Madagascar’s commitment to regional maritime security – illustrated by its hosting of the West Indian Ocean Regional Maritime Security Seminar and participation in US-led joint military exercises last February – will be key to unlocking and maintaining the wide-ranging economic potential of its hydrocarbons, minerals, fishing and trade flows.
Looking ahead, Madagascar’s hosting of the IOC summit marks more than a diplomatic milestone – it signals the country’s emergence as an important force in a region at the intersection of pressing global challenges. Guided by the Rajoelina administration’s ambitious agenda, Madagascar is poised to play a decisive role in advancing security, sustainability and prosperity across the region in the years ahead.
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