Born October 21st, 1940 in Antonibe (northwestern coast), District of Analalava, Province of Mahajanga, Daniel Rajakoba comes from a humble family of cattle breeders. He spent his first school years in Antsakoabe (at the mouth of the Sofia River), Analalava, and Mahajanga. He then went to the "Ecole Normale d'Instituteurs" of Antananarivo, where College Teachers are being trained, and to the National Institute for Educational Research and Training (I.P.E.S) of Antananarivo University; he studied at the Faculty of Reformed Theology in Aix-en-Provence and that of Montpellier.

Rev. Daniel Rajakoba & his spouse

He began his political career in 1972 as a Labour Secretary. He was then called by General RAMANANTSOA to be part of the government as he was a professor and the educational adviser of the National Superior Institute for Pedagogical Research and Training in Antananarivo. During that mandate he used to preach on the National Radio weekly. People knew him in this way and have already been used to call him Pastor.

He went to France in 1987, wishing to complete his studies in Linguistics and reach his aim to have a theological education and be a Pastor. After his Theology study in Aix-en-Provence and in Montpellier, he was consecrated Pastor by the Church of Jesus-Christ in Madagascar (F.J.K.M) in 1999. He has been practicing in the Malagasy Protestant Church of France essentially as a lecturer.The 61 years old man was regularly in Madagascar since his consecration, evangelising throughout the whole country. At the sight of his poverty-stricken country, he could not stay indifferent opposite to that state of emergency and be at rest in France.He is aware of the fact that destitution in Madagascar is mainly related to the problem of the human being. Human plans and development projects are fallible even though they are perfectly prepared with the best intentions. Madagascar needs a new man, whose mentality has been renewed, renewed in his fortitude, to take the national issues in hand, a man who will overcome bad tendencies which are the nation’s main cause of misery. Consequently a profound conviction led him to take the firm decision to run for presidency in January 2001.