The regional meeting of Ambassadors and Directors of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) offices in Southern Africa took place on July 6-7 in Cape Town, focusing on further enhancing Italy’s actions in the region within the framework of the Mattei Plan.
“Since the beginning of my mandate, I have placed Africa among the strategic priorities of our foreign policy: it is a continent where we can aspire to play a significant role. Our regional meetings lay the foundations for strengthening Italy’s relations with various African states,” commented Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tajani, citing the Italy-Africa Summit and the Mattei Plan as concrete examples of the Italian government’s commitment to the African continent.
Under Minister Tajani’s instruction, the meeting was chaired by the Secretary-General of the Farnesina, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, as in previous meetings held in Dar es Salaam on March 16-17 (dedicated to East African countries) and in Abidjan on May 4-5 (dedicated to West African countries).
Participants included Ambassadors from Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Harare (Zimbabwe), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Luanda (Angola, Sao Tome), Lusaka (Zambia and Malawi), Maputo (Mozambique, Eswatini, and Botswana), and Pretoria (South Africa, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Namibia), as well as AICS Directors responsible for the region (Maputo, Nairobi, and Niamey).
The first session focused on the prospects of Italian action in Southern Africa, aiming to launch major development projects with an “equal partnership” approach, while the second session centered on the contribution of the new Italian Cooperation strategy in Africa to the success of the Mattei Plan.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Secretary-General Guariglia met with Zane Dangor, Secretary-General of the local Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, for bilateral consultations and an exchange of views on major regional and international issues.