President Bola Tinubu is currently holding a closed-door meeting with the President of Madagascar, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The visiting Malagasy leader arrived at the State House at about 2:57 p.m. local time and was received with a ceremonial guard of honour, including bagpipers from the Presidential Brigade of Guards.
He was first welcomed by a delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, before being ushered into the President’s office for private talks.
The visit marks Randrianirina’s first official engagement in Nigeria since assuming office in October 2025, following a political transition that led to the exit of former President Andry Rajoelina.
It is also the first recorded official visit by a sitting Malagasy head of state to Nigeria, as previous high-level engagements between both countries had largely taken place on the sidelines of international summits.
Monday’s meeting follows a brief encounter between both leaders at the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, in May.
Earlier interactions between Nigeria and Madagascar’s leadership under former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari were mostly limited to multilateral meetings abroad.
Since assuming office, Randrianirina has undertaken several diplomatic visits, including trips to Gabon, and has signalled Madagascar’s interest in strengthening ties with the BRICS bloc.
Although the agenda of the current meeting has not been officially disclosed, discussions are expected to focus on areas of mutual interest, including regional security, agricultural cooperation, and the impacts of climate change, which has significantly affected Madagascar’s southern regions in recent months.
More details are expected to emerge from the closed-door session.
