Abstract: The relevance of this study is due to the low level of academic interest on the part of both Russian and foreign scientists to the problem of the activities of the Indian Ocean Commission. The object of the study is the activities of the IOC. The subject of study is the role of the Republic of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean Commission. The purpose of the study is to determine the role of the Republic of Madagascar in the activities of the Indian Ocean Commission. The key objects of the study are : the history of the Indian Ocean Commission, key areas of IOC activity, key financial partners of IOC, key ongoing IOC projects, the role of foreign partners in IOC activities, determining the effectiveness of IOC activities, identifying key potential benefits for Madagascar from membership in the IOC. This study is based on the theory of political realism, implying a permanent struggle of key players in the international arena in the face of national states for their own national interests. In the process of research, the author used the following methods: problem-chronological method, analysis, comparative analysis, deduction. The scientific novelty of this study is based on, first, the definition of IOC as a tool for France’s neocolonial influence in the western Indian Ocean region; second, the identification of key potential benefits for Madagascar within the framework of the Indian Ocean Commission. The results of the study can be used to further analyse France’s neo-colonial policy in Africa. The key results of the study are the identification of the transformation of the IOC from an intergovernmental organization to the instrument of French neo-colonial influence in Africa, identification of low IOC effectiveness, Identification of potential benefits for Madagascar within the framework of the Indian Ocean Commission.