The visiting leader of Madagascar’s Refondation de la République, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, spent his second day in Libreville exploring the city’s most iconic landmarks alongside Gabon’s Vice-President of Government, Hermann Immongault. The itinerary included stops at the Cité Émeraude, the Baie des Rois, and the Cité de la Démocratie. At the latter site, Randrianirina toured key facilities such as the banquet hall, the Palais des Congrès, and the Omar Bongo Ondimba Museum.
Following the “tourism sprint”, as he playfully described it, the Malagasy leader praised what he witnessed in Gabon—seeing it as proof of Africa’s rapid evolution. For Randrianirina, the infrastructure and urban advancements reflect a shared ambition among African heads of state to modernize their nations and accelerate development. “Every project I’ve seen here in Gabon embodies the determination of African leaders to transform their countries and the continent as a whole”, he remarked. While acknowledging that Madagascar cannot replicate Gabon’s model verbatim, he emphasized the importance of learning from its progress—“the pathways to success differ, but the outcomes speak for themselves”.
Randrianirina highlighted the speed of Gabon’s achievements, noting that many initiatives deemed ambitious or even unattainable in such a short timeframe were successfully completed. He expressed his intention to integrate these lessons into Madagascar’s own refoundation process, aiming to steer the island nation toward a swift return to democratic elections. “We will take lessons from Gabon’s experience to ensure Madagascar’s refoundation moves forward efficiently, paving the way for timely presidential elections”, he stated. Colonel Randrianirina concluded his official visit to Libreville early yesterday morning.
