Africa. French President Emmanuel Macron concluded a state visit to Mauritius on Friday, marking the first stop in an African tour aimed at strengthening France’s presence in the Indian Ocean and across Africa, before heading to South Africa, where a politically and economically significant agenda awaits him at the G20 Summit.
On the first day of his visit, Macron and Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam agreed to enhance cooperation in maritime security, targeting drug trafficking networks and illegal fishing activities.
France is seeking to consolidate its position in the southwestern Indian Ocean through a military presence of about 1,600 troops stationed on the neighboring islands of Réunion and Mayotte.
The island of Mauritius, home to around 1.2 million people, holds strategic importance as a hub in resource-rich maritime routes contested by major powers such as China and India.
Diplomatic Symbolism
Macron, the first French president to visit Mauritius since François Mitterrand in 1993, announced that France would establish an “Indian Ocean Academy” in Réunion to train security personnel, which will be open to neighboring states.
He also inaugurated the site of the new French embassy in the capital, Port Louis, a move reflecting France’s desire to revive bilateral relations that, according to the Mauritian prime minister, had been “neglected” over the past decade.
South Africa Stop: Between Economy and Memory
Macron then traveled to Pretoria to meet his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, with whom he shares, according to the Élysée, a relationship of “close friendship and mutual respect.”
The French president will take part in launching a France–South Africa Business Council, similar to the one established with Nigeria, as part of efforts to boost economic ties with English-speaking African nations.
The visit also carries a symbolic historical dimension, as Macron will lay a wreath at the Apartheid Museum Memorial in Pretoria, where the names of 15 French figures will be added to the “Wall of Heroes.”
After Pretoria, Macron will head to Johannesburg to participate in the G20 Summit, before continuing his African tour with visits to Gabon and Angola, in a bid to expand France’s influence in Africa through a mix of security, economic, and cultural cooperation.
