The talks focused on strengthening ties between Egypt and Madagascar across priority sectors, with El-Sisi reaffirming Egypt’s readiness to provide support for Madagascar’s sustainable development efforts, presidential spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy said.
The meeting came during the two-day summit, titled Africa Forward: Africa–France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth, which is being held in the Kenyan capital on 11–12 May under the overarching theme “Africa Forward.”
Randrianirina praised the longstanding cooperation between the two countries and expressed Madagascar’s interest in intensifying coordination with Egypt in various fields to support shared development objectives, the spokesman added.
The two presidents also discussed regional issues of common concern. They agreed on the importance of enhancing consultation among African states to address the challenges facing the continent and to support peace, security, stability, and development.
According to the presidency, the discussions highlighted the importance of advancing cooperation in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063, which outline the continent’s long-term development vision.
The Africa–France Summit brings together African and French leaders to discuss economic development, investment, innovation, digital transformation, infrastructure, energy cooperation, and reforms to global financial institutions.
The summit marks the first Africa–France summit to be co-hosted with an English-speaking African country. It comes nearly a decade after French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 Ouagadougou speech, which sought to redefine France’s relationship with Africa amid growing geopolitical competition on the continent.
Egypt has sought in recent years to expand its political and economic engagement across the continent through infrastructure projects, energy cooperation, healthcare partnerships, capacity-building programmes, and coordination within the African Union and regional blocs.
Cairo has also increasingly positioned itself as a regional hub for African development cooperation, focusing on sectors such as transport connectivity, renewable energy, water security, agriculture, and digital transformation.
Relations between Egypt and Madagascar have steadily developed through AU frameworks and bilateral cooperation initiatives, particularly in technical assistance, healthcare, agriculture, education, and human capacity-building.
Egypt has repeatedly stressed support for African-led development strategies under the AU's Agenda 2063, which aims to promote continental integration, sustainable development, industrialization, infrastructure connectivity, and economic resilience.
The meeting between El-Sisi and Madagascar’s president also comes amid broader Egyptian diplomatic efforts to strengthen ties with African states and coordinate positions on regional security challenges, economic pressures, climate change, food security, and development financing.
Short link: