Macron begins Africa tour with landmark Mauritius visit

French President Emmanuel Macron began a tour of Africa on Thursday with a visit to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

Navin Ramgoolam, the prime minister of Mauritius, welcomed Macron and described his visit as one of "significant importance."

Speaking alongside the French president, Ramgoolam said the world was "facing situations that challenge the established economic order."

"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," he said.

Macron's visit to the island nation, a former French colony with strong ties to France through its proximity to Reunion (a French territory), is the first by a French president since 1993.

Macron had been scheduled to visit in April but canceled after the death of Pope Francis.

His visit will largely focus on environmental issues, with Mauritius — an island of 1.2 million people 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 took control of the country in October after three weeks of deadly anti-government protests led by disaffected young people.

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 go to South Africa for the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, visit the West African nation of Gabon and attend the African Union-European Union summit in Angola.