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# [MADAGASCAR] Cairo Roundtable: Antananarivo Courts 40 Egyptian Investors
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/madagascar-table-ronde-egypte-antananarivo-ouvre-la-porte-a-40-investisseurs-cairotes-en/
- Published: 2026-08-07T08:42:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T08:42:42.000Z
- Description: On July 30, Madagascar's head of state convened 40 Egyptian investors in Cairo and signed a GAFI-EDBM cooperation accord. Antananarivo is looking for industrial partners, not passive capital.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Madagascar, Investissement, Afrique, Flash de mi-journée, #en

On July 30, 2026, Madagascan head of state Michaël Randrianirina flew to Cairo to chair a high-stakes investment roundtable at the headquarters of Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI). The delegation included six ministers, ten Madagascan business leaders and roughly **40 Egyptian investors**.

## Partners, not just funders

Randrianirina set the tone early: Madagascar is seeking "complete, well-structured and sustainable projects" — meaning technology transfer, local employee training and joint ventures with Madagascan firms. Egyptian investment minister Mohamed Farid described the visit as launching "a new dynamic" in bilateral economic relations.

## Egypt's agro-industrial model on display

The delegation toured the "Future of Egypt" agro-industrial complex: thousands of hectares, **1,800 greenhouses**, processing units for vegetables, sugarcane and medicinal plants, generating some **360,000 jobs**. Madagascar hopes to replicate elements of this model, leveraging its land resources and young workforce.

A formal cooperation agreement was signed between GAFI and Madagascar's Economic Development Board (EDBM). Both countries are members of COMESA, a free-trade zone spanning 21 states and more than 640 million consumers.

## Structural obstacles remain

The diplomatic push comes amid domestic tensions: the Groupement des entreprises de Madagascar (GEM) suspended its participation in public-private dialogue in late June over governance disputes, while the GEFP warned in early July that **200,000 direct jobs** were at risk from new taxes introduced since 2023\. Energy supply, logistics and administrative red tape remain the three obstacles most cited by foreign investors.

## Why it matters

Madagascar is projected to grow at 6% in 2026 — among the fastest in the Indian Ocean region. By targeting Egypt, Africa's sixth-largest economy, it opens a novel South-South corridor that could channel investment into agri-food, energy and infrastructure. Converting these intentions into signed deals will hinge on Antananarivo's ability to stabilise its business climate in the months ahead.

*Sources: Newsmada, L'Express de Madagascar, GAFI — August 2026*