Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Madagascar’s President Mikhail Rajoelina agreed on Wednesday to deepen bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors after talks in El Alamein concluded with the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding.
According to the Egyptian presidency, Rajoelina received an official welcome with military honours before the two leaders held expanded talks attended by senior officials from both countries. The meeting was followed by the signing of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding, as well as an official luncheon hosted by Al-Sisi.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the economic, trade and investment sectors, while expanding collaboration in agriculture, healthcare, transport, infrastructure, renewable energy, water resources and capacity building for Malagasy professionals.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Al-Sisi welcomed Rajoelina on the first official bilateral visit by a Madagascan president to Egypt, calling it a milestone in relations between the two countries.
Rajoelina described the visit as historic and thanked Egypt for its support following the cyclones that recently struck Madagascar. He also praised the training programmes provided by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development and Egypt’s continued commitment to supporting capacity building in his country.
Al-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Madagascar during what he described as a critical stage in its development, expressing Cairo’s readiness to share its technical expertise, particularly in institutional capacity building and human resource development.
The Egyptian president said both sides had agreed to strengthen economic and commercial ties by capitalising on investment opportunities and leveraging their shared membership of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). He noted that closer economic integration could help increase trade volumes and encourage greater private-sector investment.
Al-Sisi also highlighted the growing role of Egyptian private-sector companies in Madagascar’s infrastructure projects, saying Egyptian firms were well positioned to expand their activities in energy, water management and desalination, agriculture and healthcare.
He welcomed Madagascar’s intention to consider opening a resident diplomatic mission in Cairo, describing the move as an important step towards enhancing political coordination and strengthening bilateral relations.
The two presidents also discussed cooperation within African institutions, including the African Union, reaffirming their commitment to closer coordination on regional and continental priorities.
On regional and international issues, they agreed to continue coordinating efforts to promote peace, security and stability across Africa, while emphasising the importance of African-led solutions to regional challenges.
Addressing climate change, Al-Sisi called for greater international support for African countries facing its growing impacts, noting that both Egypt and Madagascar are among the continent’s most vulnerable nations to climate-related risks. He also reaffirmed Egypt’s solidarity with Madagascar in responding to recent environmental disasters, including the impact of Cyclone Gezani.
