This article covers the history of India's mission in Madagascar, visits and meetings at the level of heads of state and government, ministerial and parliamentary exchanges, and cooperation between the two countries in multilateral bodies. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief on India and Madagascar dated April 2026.
India's mission in Antananarivo
According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India opened a Consulate General in Antananarivo in 1954. It was upgraded to an Embassy in 1960, when Madagascar gained its independence.
Heads of state and government
The then President of Madagascar Mr. Didier Ratsiraka visited India in 1980 and 1983. The annexure to the brief lists the 1980 visit as bilateral and the 1983 visit as being for the NAM Summit. The then President H.E. Mr. Hery Rajaonarimampianina came to New Delhi in October 2015 for the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit.
The then President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid a visit to Antananarivo on 14-15 March 2018. The brief calls it a historic visit and the first such high level visit from India to Madagascar. During the visit he met President Rajaonarimampianina, addressed students at the University of Antananarivo and inaugurated a CGARD center set up with the assistance of the Government of India. Two MoUs were signed during the visit, one on cooperation in Defence and one on Air Services.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the then President of Madagascar H.E. Mr. Andry Rajoelina on 14 February 2024, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai (UAE). The brief records this as the first meeting between the two leaders, who took stock of the state and prospects of the India-Madagascar partnership. Earlier, on 16 December 2023, Secretary (Economic Relations), MEA Shri Dammu Ravi had represented the Government of India at Mr. Rajoelina's investiture ceremony in Antananarivo.
Other ministerial visits from India
The annexure to the brief lists the following earlier bilateral visits to Madagascar by Indian ministers:
- Shri P.A. Sangma, Minister of State for Commerce, in 1985
- Shri Hari Kishore Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, in 1990
- Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State for Finance, in October 2016
Visits connected with defence and capacity building are covered in the development partnership article of this guide.
Parliamentary exchanges
The then President of the National Assembly H.E. Mr. Justin Tokely led a Malagasy parliamentary delegation on an official visit to New Delhi from 10-14 March 2025. The brief describes it as the first high level exchange between the parliaments of the two countries. The delegation met the Speaker of Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla and held interactions with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Foreign ministers and senior officials
The annexure records visits to India by Foreign Ministers Mr. Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana in 2001 and Mr. Marcel Ranjeva in 2005. Foreign Minister Mr. Pierrot J. Rajaonarivelo came in November 2012 for the IOR-ARC Ministerial Meeting.
The then Foreign Minister Mr. Richard Randriamandrato attended the 7th edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi from 25-27 April 2022. During that visit he called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. Dr. Jaishankar met the then Foreign Minister H.E. Mrs. Rasata Rafaravavitafika on 9 February 2024, on the sidelines of the 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth (Australia).
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Marie Léontine Razanadrasoa took part in the 11th edition of the Raisina Dialogue, held in New Delhi from 05-07 March 2026.
Other ministerial contacts
The then Minister of Labour, Employment and Civil Service H.E. Mrs. Hanitra Razakaboana paid an official visit to India from 8-10 September 2025. On 9 September 2025 she held a bilateral meeting with Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and visited the V. V. Giri National Labour Institute, UIDAI Headquarters and the NCGG. Her visit coincided with a training programme for Malagasy civil servants, described in the development partnership article.
The annexure also records visits to India by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons, for India Energy Week-2023 in Bengaluru in February 2023, and by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, for the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Summit in Pune in June 2023.
Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Shri Ajay Tamta met the then Minister of Transport and Meteorology H.E. Mr. Valery Ramonjavelo on 20 February 2025, on the sidelines of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech (Morocco).
Election bodies
The then President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) H.E. Mr. Dama Andrianarisedo Arsene led a 5 member delegation on a study tour to New Delhi from 29-31 January 2024, at the invitation of the Election Commission of India. In May 2024, Mr. Randrianarivonantoanina Tiana Ifanomezantsoa, Member of the Permanent Board and Electoral Commissioner of the CENI, attended the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP) of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.
Voice of Global South and other summits
The then interim President H.E. Mr. Richard Ravalomanana took part in the inaugural session of the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit, held in virtual format under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 17 November 2023. On the same day, the then Minister of Economy and Finances Mrs. Rindra Hasimbelo Rabarinirinarison attended the summit's Finance Ministers' Session, chaired by Secretary (Economic Affairs), Ministry of Finance.
Mrs. Rabarinirinarison and Mr. Lovatiako Ralaivo, Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, took part in the Ministerial and Vice Ministerial sessions of the 3rd Voice of the Global South Summit, held virtually under India's chairship on 17 August 2024. Earlier, the then Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development H.E. Ms. Vina Marie-Orlea took part in the Environment Ministers' Session of the Voice of Global South Summit on 12 January 2023.
The then President Rajoelina sent a video message to the inaugural session of the 4th International Conference of CDRI on 4 May 2022. He sent another for the launch of "Mission LiFE" by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres on 20 October 2022.
Cooperation in multilateral bodies
The brief states that Madagascar has been supporting India in elections to the United Nations and other multinational fora. Madagascar supported India's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2021-2022, and has conveyed its support for India's candidature for 2028-2029.
Madagascar is a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. India is an Observer in the Indian Ocean Commission, and took part as an observer in the 5th Summit of the Indian Ocean Commission, held in Antananarivo on 24 April 2025.