MadagascarMutual visits:
• Malagasy Minister of Energy and Mines visited Cairo on July 5-8, 2005 to attend the signing ceremony of an agreement to grant Madagascar a loan from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa after concluding negotiations in Sudan.
• Egypt’s Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs, Ambassador Ma’soum Marzouq, held a visit to Madagascar on June 13-14, 2007, as he met with the Malagasy Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the main issues with regard to the African Summit held in Accra in 2007.
Technical cooperation, training and scholarships:
• Madagascar participates annually in the training courses on police and rice cultivation technology organized in cooperation with the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa, as well as the sessions of the Egyptian International Center for Agriculture organized in cooperation with the cultural sector of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Madagascar also participated in the diplomatic course organized by the Institute of Diplomatic Studies in cooperation with the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa.
Madagascar also benefits from university scholarships offered by the Ministry of Higher Education (7 scholarships annually) and by the Advanced Education Initiative (two scholarships).
Trade exchange:
• Statistics from the Malagasy Ministry of Commerce indicate that there has been a permanent surplus in the balance of trade in favor of Egypt over the previous years, as the total Egyptian exports amounted to 15.15 billion Ariary in 2007, compared to the total Malagasy imports amounting to 1.9 billion Ariary, which represents an increase in the volume of Egyptian exports to Madagascar compared to previous years in light of the Malagasy government's policy of openness and free market, in addition to the demand on Egyptian goods by Malagasy importers as both countries are members of COMESA.
Main Egyptian exports to Madagascar:
• Sanitary ware, essential oils, food and agricultural products, paints and oils.Main Egyptian imports from Madagascar:
• Sesame, coffee beans, tea, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and seafood.
