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.
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