On 19-21 June 2019, the Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.E. Emanuela Del Re, and the Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Luca Maestripieri, visited Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the priority country for the Italian Cooperation which has been present in the country for over 40 years.
The visit was an opportunity for the Director to meet the staff of AICS Addis Ababa and learn more about its activities, especially in view of the new Country Framework 2020-22.
During the mission, the Director participated together with the Vice Minister Del Re in two key events for the promotion of the development of Ethiopia: the seventh Annual Conference of RES4Africa (Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa) which took place in Addis Ababa, and the “Ethio-Italian Business Forum” organized by the Embassy of Italy in Ethiopia and the local office of ICE. At the RES4Africa conference, the Director highlighted the commitment of the Agency in the field of energy.
The Director had also the chance to meet the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation in Ethiopia, Erik Habers, and the representatives of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in the Country. Moreover, he took part in the inauguration of the exhibition “A Passage to Eritrea and Ethiopia” curated by the photographer Antonio Politano, which took place at the Italian Cultural Institute in Addis Ababa in the presence of the Vice Minister Del Re and the Ambassador of Italy to Ethiopia, Arturo Luzzi.
During the mission, the Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Luca Maestripieri, visited the Ethio-International Footwear Cluster Cooperative Society (EIFCCOS), one of the six successful cluster models in Ethiopia benefiting from the project ‘Phase 2 of the Technical Assistance for the Up-Grading of the Ethiopian Leather and Leather Products Industry’ financed by Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo and implemented by UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
In addition, he visited the Hitsas refugee camp in Tigray, Ethiopia, where this AICS Addis Ababa finances the project "Resilience and Integration in favour of Eritrean refugees and host communities in Shire area, Ethiopia" AID 11223 implemented by VIS Volontariato in collaboration with VIS Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo CCM Comitato Collaborazione Medica CISP Sviluppo dei Popoli and HELVETAS.
