Canada-Madagascar relations
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Bilateral relations
Canada established diplomatic ties with Madagascar in 1965, five years after Madagascar gained independence. In Madagascar, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada in South Africa, in Pretoria, and by an honorary consul located in Antananarivo. In Canada, Madagascar is represented by its embassy in Ottawa.
Canada and Madagascar maintain positive bilateral relations, anchored in common membership in La Francophonie and the United Nations. Canada and Madagascar share similar views on a number of multilateral issues, including gender equality, the environment and climate change.
Trade relations
In 2023, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Madagascar totalled $191.9 million, consisting of $16.9 million in exports from Canada and $175.0 million in imports from Madagascar. In 2023, Canadian direct investment in Madagascar stood at $84.0 million. For the same year, the balance sheet for direct investment from Madagascar to Canada is not available.
Business opportunities exist particularly in mining and education. As a French-speaking country, post-secondary students from Madagascar consider Canada a destination of choice, and many Canadian universities have established partnerships with Malagasy schools.
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Development
In 2022 to 2023, Canada provided $39.7M in international assistance to Madagascar, mainly through institutional support to multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the African Union and others. Canada is helping to address the critical education and skills gap in Madagascar through support to UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited. In climate change, Canada is partnering with Mission Inclusion on a $30M initiative (approximately $6.6M from 2023 to 2025) to contribute to the African-led Great Blue Wall Initiative by promoting resilient seascapes in Madagascar, using nature-based solutions. In the area of health, Canada is supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has provided US$89M in pooled funds from all donors to Madagascar (2021 to 2024) to strengthen health systems and make greater progress against these infectious diseases.
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Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Madagascar work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- La Francophonie
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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