Africa at centre of Italy's international agenda - Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 29 - The government of Premier Giorgia Meloni intends to put Africa at the centre of its international agenda and growth diplomacy, Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Antonio Tajani said on Monday.
    "Africa is a priority of Italian foreign policy and of our economic diplomacy, which I call growth because it serves us and you," Tajani told the 25 African leaders and representatives of the European Union institutions present at the Italy-Africa summit at the Senate in Rome.
    "We want to bring the African continent as a protagonist to the centre of our international agenda," he continued, adding that "this summit intends to strengthen a dialogue between equals, in order to look together at the challenges of today and tomorrow".
    "We live in a context of three wars, in which even the situation in the Red Sea has strategic and economic repercussions on African countries as well as for us," said Tajani.
    For this reason, he said the summit has "a strong strategic value", reiterating that the Italian G7 "intends to be a factor of stability and partnership with Africa".
    "We are also considering how best to give Africa a role at the G7 foreign summit in Capri, in particular by envisaging an invitation to the African Union," added Tajani.
    The foreign minister said his approach to Africa is "inspired by the greatest concreteness".
    "I have decided to open a new embassy in Mauritania, and our economic diplomacy is focusing on Africa," he continued.
    Tajani said that three new offices of the Italian foreign trade agency ICE are already operational in Dakar, Nairobi and Lagos.
    "(Export credit and insurance companies, ed.) Sace and Simest are strengthening the tools available to companies that decide to invest in Africa by also opening three new offices on the continent. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, our Development Bank, will also be opening new offices in Morocco, Egypt, and soon in Sub-Saharan Africa," with "the embassies as coordination centres," explained Tajani, announcing that the foreign ministry and Simest have together prepared a new package of subsidised loans worth a total of 200 million euro.
    In the first nine months of 2023 our trade amounted to 45 billion euro. As Minister of Foreign Trade I am not content. I want to do more," he continued. "Development cooperation also contributes to this commitment.
    Today we have interventions worth 2 billion euro in Africa. We are directing most of the resources towards the continent, in key sectors such as health, education, institution building and food security, also in order to build a system with our companies," added Tajani.
    "The stability and growth of Africa is also the stability and growth of Italy and Europe," he insisted, adding that this is also the case for migration.
    "Dialogue between countries of origin, transit and destination of migratory flows must be strengthened, in the knowledge that this is an issue that no one can tackle alone.
    "This is why Italy has long been calling for and working towards a strong commitment from the European Union," added Tajani.
    Italy, said the minister, desires "to create more work in Africa, for example with joint ventures that enable mutually beneficial partnerships between Italian and African companies".
    "I am thinking of the processing of raw materials in Africa and a more efficient and win-win use of critical materials.
    "By promoting job creation, we will deal a decisive blow to the human traffickers who are our common enemies.
    If they invest in desperation, we intend to invest in opportunities," Tajani added.
    "For this reason, we have reinforced legal migration channels," he concluded. (ANSA).