The President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, arrived in Rwanda on August 6, for a three-day state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations.

Upon arrival, Rajoelina was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Biruta at Kigali International Airport.

During his visit, Rajoelina is expected to engage in high-level meetings with President Paul Kagame and other senior government officials to discuss issues of mutual interest, cooperation, and ways to enhance economic ties.

The Malagasy leader’s visit follows an invitation from his Rwandan counterpart. Rajoelina is accompanied by several government officials as well as members of the private sector from Madagascar.

In February 2019, a team from the Economic development board of Madagascar (EDBM) already carried out a prospecting mission in Rwanda where it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rwanda Development Board. The objective was to increase the flow of investments between the two countries.

It was also raised at the time of the opening of an airline between Antananarivo and Kigali to promote trade between the two countries.

"I am delighted with the strengthening of cooperation between Madagascar and Rwanda, a model of development in Africa. The flow of investments between our two countries will be accentuated thanks to this new memorandum of understanding”, Andry Rajoelina rejoiced at the time on his Twitter account.