Makamba represents Samia at Italy-Africa Summit

 Dar es Salaam.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Mr January Makamba is representing President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the fourth Italy-Africa Summit, where a new Italian foreign policy for Africa will be launched.

The summit is slated for Sunday and Monday and Mr Makamba was received in Rome on Saturday by the Tanzanian ambassador to Italy, Mr Mahmoud Thabit Kombo.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation ministry, this year’s Italy-Africa summit “is expected to discuss various agendas, including economic growth and infrastructure development, migrant involvement in development, food security, counterterrorism efforts and the use of digital technology”.

Other topics include combating illegal immigration and human trafficking, climate change, cooperation in the education sector at the university and vocational training levels and cultural collaboration.

Over 50 delegations, mainly from African countries, as well as European leaders and representatives of international organisations, are expected to attend.

According to the international news organisation Reuters, the new plan by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is named after the late Enrico Mattei, who founded Italian energy giant Eni in the 1950s and is presented as Italy’s strategic plan that aims to review the country’s approach to the African continent.

It is also expected that Italy will also announce its support for the African Union's membership in the G-20.

“Italy also intends to use the opportunity of the summit to demonstrate its readiness to transfer modern technology in the agricultural sector to African countries and become a hub for energy distribution from the African continent,” the ministerial statement reads in part.