By Enyichukwu Enemanna
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday commenced his tour of Africa with a visit to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, becoming the first French leader to visit the country since 1993.
He was received by the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who described the visit as one of “significant importance.”
Speaking alongside the French President, Ramgoolam said the world was “facing situations that challenge the established economic order.”
He continued, “We risk ending up in a system where ambitions generated elsewhere stir up the global economic order. We, small island developing states, are the first to feel the negative effects of this disorder”.
The island nation, a former French colony has strong ties to France through its proximity to Reunion (a French territory).
Macron was earlier scheduled to visit Mauritius in April but it was rescheduled following the death of Pope Francis.
His visit will largely focus on environmental issues, with Mauritius, an island of 1.2 million population with one of Africa’s highest standards of living playing an important role in ocean protection.
At a press conference, Macron also signalled his support for Madagascar.
The armed forces had last month taken control of the country after three weeks of deadly anti-government protests, championed by young people who accused then civilian government of poor performance.
The military government has since outlined plans for a democratic transition and new elections in a two-year timeframe.
Macron said, “France will support this transition with an attitude of openness and support for the priorities of the Malagasy people, in particular about economic development.”
On his tour of the region, Macron will also participate in the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, pay a visit to the West African nation of Gabon and attend the African Union-European Union summit in Angola.
