This article describes India's development partnership with Madagascar: training, a line of credit, grants and donations, humanitarian assistance, and cooperation in health and defence. It draws on the MEA bilateral brief of April 2026.

Capacity building

The brief states that, as part of South-South Cooperation, India's focus has been on capacity building, including training in highly skilled and technical fields, which it says has been widely appreciated by the local population. According to the MEA brief of April 2026, the total training slots availed by Madagascar as of that date are:

  • ICCR: 221
  • ITEC-Civilian: 1039
  • ITEC-Defence: 189
  • IAFS III: 89
  • Ilearn portal: 13

Training for civil servants

Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) Dr. Surendrakumar Bagde paid an official visit to Madagascar from 24-28 March 2025. During the visit, an India-Madagascar MoU on Capacity Building Training Programme for the Civil Servants of Madagascar was signed between NCGG and ENAM (National School of Administration of Madagascar). He also met the then Governor of Alaotra-Mangoro Region Dr. Guy Ramorasandratana, the Mayor of Antananarivo and the Director General of ENAM Mrs. Marie Agnes Anona.

Three batches of 30 Malagasy civil servants each have since taken part in the Special Capacity Building Training Programme at the NCGG in India (New Delhi/ Mussoorie), in May-June 2025, August-September 2025 (from 01-12 September) and March 2026.

Training for diplomats

The Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar signed an MOU on 12 September 2022 for the training of diplomats. Courses recorded in the brief include:

  • 10 diplomats took part in the 1st Special Course for diplomats of the Indian Ocean Region at SSIFS from 20 September-1 October 2021
  • One diplomat attended the 69th Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD) at SSIFS from 03-28 October 2022
  • 20 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underwent special English language training at EFLU, Hyderabad under the ITEC programme in 2023
  • 14 diplomats took part in the 1st Special Course for Malagasy diplomats, organised by SSIFS from 12-21 June 2024
  • 1 diplomat took part in the 1st Special Course for the Diplomats of IORA countries at SSIFS from 28 April to 3 May 2025

ITEC executive programmes

The President of the Independent National Human Rights Commission (CNIDH) Mr. Seth Andriamarohasina and three colleagues took part in a special ITEC Executive Programme run by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi from 3-8 March 2025. Two officials of the Ministry of Public Health attended the ITEC Executive Programme "Pandemic Preparedness Workshop for the Indo-Pacific countries" at the National Centre for Disease Control in New Delhi from 17-19 March 2025. Two senior officials of the Ministry of Public Works attended the ITEC Executive course "Global Trends in Building Infrastructure for Development" at IIM Indore from 28 April to 11 May 2024.

Line of credit and CGARD

The Government of India extended a concessional Line of Credit of US$ 25 mn to Madagascar in 2008 for raising the productivity of rice and setting up of fertilizer plants. Under it, 425 tractors and equipment and machinery were supplied.

An agreement for the establishment of a Centre for Geo-informatics Applications in Rural Development (CGARD) was signed in 2016. CGARD was jointly inaugurated by the President of India and the Malagasy President in March 2018 and has since been working under the Ministry of Agriculture of Madagascar.

Grants and donations

A Memorandum of Understanding for implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects with India's grant assistance, in areas such as agriculture, energy, transport, health and education, was signed by the Ambassador and the then Foreign Minister of Madagascar in Antananarivo on 11 September 2023. Other grant projects and donations recorded in the brief include:

  • computers and other equipment for the University of Tulear in April 2018
  • 100000 NCERT books in English, Maths and Science for Malagasy schools in January 2020, as announced during the President's visit in March 2018
  • 150 solar lamps for high school students of "Lycee Jean Joseph Rabearivelo" in Antananarivo in February 2020
  • a computer lab with 50 computers at Lycee Moderne, Ampefiloha in Antananarivo, set up on 12 April 2022; the brief describes it as the largest high school in Madagascar
  • 15000 bicycles for school children and teachers, donated on 15 August 2022 in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Madagascar
  • a Solar Power System at the building of the National Assembly, inaugurated by the Ambassador and the then President of the National Assembly H.E. Mr. Justin Tokely on 4 September 2024
  • three 9-ton trucks handed over to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) on 10 December 2024
  • digital equipment, including one desktop computer, three laptops and one web creation software, handed over to CENI on 29 April 2025

The MoU for Participation in the e-VBAB Network Project was signed between India and Madagascar on 12 July 2022.

Humanitarian assistance

The brief lists the following assistance from the Government of India:

  • 2013: cash assistance of US$ 100,000 as disaster relief during tropical cyclone "Haruna"
  • 2015: cash assistance of US$ 200,000 for the victims of cyclone Chedza
  • 2018: a cash grant of US$ 2 million to the BNGRC (Natural Disaster Management Agency of Madagascar), and 1000 tonnes of rice and 100 tonnes of medicines for the drought victims of Southern Madagascar, Enawo cyclone and the Plague epidemic
  • March 2020: 600 tonnes of rice after heavy floods in the Northern region
  • May 2020: a consignment of medicines for treatment of Covid-19
  • March 2021: 1000 tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine, due to severe drought and famine in South Madagascar
  • 2022: 5000 tonnes of rice for the drought situation in the South

On 10 March 2026, the Charge d'Affaires handed over the first tranche of humanitarian aid, comprising 30 tons of assistance including essential medicines and critical supplies, to support recovery from Cyclones Gezani and Fytia. It was received in Antananarivo by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Health

The cancer treatment radio therapy machine "Bhabhatron-II", gifted by the Government of India, was installed at HJRA hospital in Antananarivo in 2021. In December 2023, the Embassy signed a 3-year contract with the Indian company "Panacea Medical Technologies" for its maintenance.

The first ever "Jaipur Foot Camp" under the MEA's "India for Humanity" programme was held in Antananarivo in November-December 2024. The then First Lady H.E. Mrs. Mialy Rajoelina inaugurated it on 12 November 2024, and the then Foreign Minister H.E. Mrs. Rasata Rafaravavitafika was among its visitors. About 500 disabled people received free-of-cost fitment of artificial limbs.

The then Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Lethicia Lydia Yasmine and the Director of the Pharmaceutical Agency of Madagascar Dr. Hoby Sitraka Ravelomampianina took part in the 2nd edition of the Policymakers' Visit on Indian Pharmacopoeia in New Delhi and Ahmedabad from 16-19 June 2025.

Defence and maritime cooperation

An MoU on defence cooperation was signed during the President of India's visit in March 2018. Minister of State for Defence Shri Sanjay Seth led a high-level delegation to Antananarivo from 25-27 June 2025 and took part in the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Independence of Madagascar. He met the then Minister of Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Sahivelo Lala Monja Delphin and called on the then Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Christian Ntsay. The Embassy organised an Indian Community reception during the visit.

Lt. Gen. Delphin, with Chief of Naval Staff Rear Adm. Gabriel Tsiriniaina and Chief of Air Staff Brig. Gen. Toky Rabemizana, attended "Aero India-2025" in Bengaluru from 10-14 February 2025, where he met Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Rear Adm. Tsiriniaina met Adm. Dinesh Tripathi.

The then Minister of National Defence Mr. Rakotonirina Léon Jean Richard led a 3-member delegation to DefExpo 2022 and the India-Africa Defence Ministers' Conclave in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) from 18-22 October 2022 and met Shri Rajnath Singh. The annexure also lists his visits for DefExpo-2020 (February 2020) and Aero India 2021 (February 2021).

Malagasy naval and disaster management officials have attended a Maritime Symposium at the Regional Maritime Fusion Centre, Gurgaon (June 2019), the Goa Maritime Conclave (November 2021 and October 2023), the Indian Navy's Annual Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise in Goa (October 2023) and "MILAN-2024" in Visakhapatnam (February 2024). Two medical officers of the Ministry of Armed Forces took part in the 40th Annual Continuing Medical Education on Marine Medicine & Allied Sciences at INHS Asvini, Mumbai on 01-02 November 2025.