Andry RAJOELINA - Président République Madagascar.wav

Ladies and gentlemen of Parliament, Madam President of the Reunion Region, Mr. Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Commission, ladies and gentlemen heads of diplomatic and consular missions, ladies and gentlemen representatives of technical and financial partners, ladies and gentlemen regional governors, Mr. President of industry unions, ladies and gentlemen members of government, ladies and gentlemen business leaders and private sector representatives, Mr. President of the Madagascar Industries Union, distinguished guests, it is with joy and pride that I join you today at this official opening ceremony of the first Indian Ocean CEO Summit, which also marks the 65th anniversary of the Madagascar Industries Union.

I wanted to be present today to demonstrate my commitment to the private sector's role in our region's development. This high-level meeting, bringing together more than 300 business leaders, industry captains, and economic actors from the Indian Ocean region, reflects our collective desire to strengthen the prosperity of our regional economy. Industrialization as a driver of economic transformation is a subject particularly close to my heart.

It is, in fact, one of the three fundamental pillars of the State's general policy. I commend the Madagascar Industries Union's initiative in creating this strategic dialogue platform aimed at creating investment opportunities to promote regional development through strategic collaboration channels. I am convinced that industrialization is the key to our countries' economic development.

Investments create jobs, contribute to economic growth, and thus increase national GDP. In Madagascar, our ambition is to locally produce and transform everything our population needs, while developing products for export to regional markets. To this end, we have initiated important reforms with incentive measures to attract investments in priority sectors.

We have also made Madagascar's agricultural transformation a national objective. Currently, Madagascar is the third-largest rice producer on the African continent, after Nigeria and Egypt. With our 36 million hectares of arable land, we challenge ourselves to become Africa's agricultural breadbasket to contribute to our region's food self-sufficiency.

To achieve this ambitious goal, we will improve rice productivity by increasing yield per hectare. We will increase from 3 tons to 12 tons per hectare through the modernization of agricultural practices, mechanization of the production chain, and the use of improved hybrid seeds. I am personally committed to this agricultural reform to improve the daily lives of our population.

As I often say: "A good father is one who can feed his family, and a good president is one who can feed his population." I tell you and repeat: I will be a good president to feed the Malagasy people. It is inconceivable that today, with the potential we possess, Mauritius still imports corn from Argentina.

It is also regrettable that Reunion and Seychelles import fruits and vegetables from Spain, and that all our countries still import sugar from Brazil. In Madagascar, we have 2,000 kilometers of coastline on the East coast to produce, cultivate, and process these products. Our region is brimming with enormous potential and abundant natural resources.

Our five Indian Ocean countries represent 18% of the African continent's area. Madagascar has a land area of 587,000 square kilometers, with an exclusive economic zone of 1,200,000 square kilometers. Mauritius, meanwhile, has a land area of 2,040 square kilometers but has an exclusive economic zone of 2.3 million square kilometers — 1,227 times its land area.

The Seychelles, with only 459 square kilometers of land area, has 1,300,000 square kilometers in exclusive economic zone. The Comoros has a land area of 2,235 square kilometers, with an exclusive economic zone of 320,000 square kilometers. We thus have important and strategic maritime economic zones in the Indian Ocean.

Our islands possess unique potential worldwide, and tourism development is a decisive lever for our economies. It is a key sector for our region, and we must further strengthen the promotion of the Vanilla Islands to create a solid network between our islands and facilitate exchanges. In this perspective, strengthening maritime connections and security between our islands is paramount.

These improvements will facilitate the transport of goods and people. Our economic exchanges depend on the fluidity of our connections. The sea is our road, our connection, and maritime networks will be the backbone of our regional development.

However, there can be no industrialization without accessible, sustainable, and affordable energy production. This is why energy transition must be a priority. In Madagascar, we have taken concrete measures to accelerate this transition.

Solar parks of 50 megawatts are being installed in Madagascar's major cities, and 250 additional megawatts will be added next year. We are also launching hydroelectric projects that will triple our production capacity, thus reducing energy production costs from 25 cents to 7 cents per kilowatt-hour. These initiatives aim to support our ambition to industrialize Madagascar.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our ambition is to improve trade by strengthening cooperation between states. Your role as the private sector is crucial in achieving our common objectives. Regional integration is essential to strengthen economic growth and reduce our dependence on distant countries. This summit marks a new chapter in regional cooperation based on a shared vision and concrete ambitions.

Madagascar, as Secretary General of the IOC and incoming chair of SADC, firmly believes in the power of regional cooperation. Industrial development cannot be limited to our own borders but must be part of a coordinated regional approach. That is why I call for everyone's commitment to work together for the industrial transformation and empowerment of our beautiful Indian Ocean region.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is together and hand in hand that we will build and develop a stronger, more united, and more resilient region. By uniting our forces and leveraging our synergies, we will create true regional and continental autonomy. Together, let us realize our shared vision of sustainable development and make the Indian Ocean an example of prosperity for future generations.