On 5-11 May 2019, an Ethiopian High Level Delegation went to Emilia-Romagna (Italy) on a field mission organized by UNIDO, FAO, AICS Addis Ababa in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Embassy of Italy in Ethiopia. The mission was hosted by the Emilia-Romagna regional Government and its Development Agency Attrattività, ricerca e territorio dell'Emilia-Romagna (ART-ER) S.C.p.A. MACFRUT also contributed to the organization of part of the mission, inviting the Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture and the State Minister of Ministry of Trade and Industry to join a round table called “Italy and Africa: building a renewed partnership for horticultural and agro-industrial development.”
The main output of the visit was the declaration of interest from the Government of Ethiopia, AICS, UNIDO, and FAO to involve Emilia-Romagna Region and ART-ER in the design and implementation of projects related to agro-industrial development in Ethiopia, with direct and/or indirect partnership mechanisms. The Italian successful agro-industrial model based on the territorial inter-linkage of its value chain actors from producers to consumers and promoted by Emilia-Romagna Region was indeed highly appreciated by the Delegation.
As part of the mission, the Delegation also attended the 36th edition of the international fair MACFRUT in Rimini on 8-9 May 2019. This year the fair hosted a stand of Ethiopian producers thanks to a sponsor of AICS of 10,000 Euro for a 60 m2 stand, and the support of the Italian Trade Agency, which organized training courses in Ethiopia to prepare Ethiopian exhibitors on how to do business in an international context.
The Italian Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, officially inaugurated the event, and the dedicated African pavilion, expressing d the strong interest of Italy in increasing its presence in Africa, also through development interventions and action the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
As a remark of the importance given from our Government to the partnership with Ethiopian Institutions, our the Vice-Minister started her visit of the Africa Pavillion cutting the ribbon at the Ethiopia Stand, together with the Regional Minister of Agriculture of Emilia-Romagna, ICE, AICS, the two State Ministers of Ethiopia and the Ambassador of Ethiopia in Italy.
Ministers from different countries of Subsaharan Africa attended the round table “Italy and Africa: building a renewed partnership for horticultural and agro-industrial development”: Congo DRC, Somalia, Angola, Mozambique and Ethiopia. The Ethiopian ministers briefed the audience on challenges and opportunities of Agriculture and Agro-industrialisation.
