Italy-Africa Summit opened “a green light of opportunities”

Maputo, 31 Jan (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi believes that the Italy-Africa Summit opened a green light of opportunities so that African countries could show their potential and exchange experiences with Italy in order to move towards sustainable development.

Nyusi, who was speaking to reporters after participating at the Italy-Africa summit, a two-day event that took place in Rome, believes that Italy was fortunate to organize this event, which “was successful.”

“The meeting was a success. Italy managed to bring multilateral institutions together, and there was room for an exchange of views”, he said, adding that “Africans clearly showed that they were not simply coming to hear what they can get, but also to say what they can give so that together we can move forward.”

Nyusi gave a presentation at the summit, under the slogan: “A Bridge to Common Growth”, which focused on the energy security component, especially the energy transition strategy.

Infrastructure issues, culture, training and professionalization, migratory flows and the fight against terrorism, and food security were other themes that took centre stage at the event.

“The debates were all about the state of financing. Financing also means investments, whether private or between states – in this sense, recognizing that Africa is not in a position to come and ask, but in a position to participate in collective development, contributing what it has”, Nyusi said.

He explained that there were also debates about the importance of transforming resources within African countries, “so that we can reduce the fact that we are the source of raw materials and simply a market for goods based on those materials.”

In this context, he said, it was a cross-cutting issue, because the transformation of resources in their respective countries enables employability and, consequently, reduces emigration rates.

“Emigration happens because people are hungry and poor. If the raw materials that are exploited are processed in the countries themselves, as well as providing employment, something is left over and there’s no need to leave to find work, because you can work in your own country”, the President said.

During the summit, Italy set out its priorities for co-operation and investment in each of the African countries.

In the case of Mozambique, according to Nyusi, Italy promised that it will continue to develop agro-processing centers, taking as an example one that is already being planned in the central province of Manica.

(AIM)

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