From 7 to 13 May, a mission of the Italian Development Cooperation system took place in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, with the objective of strengthening Italy’s engagement in West Africa and consolidating partnerships with countries in the region, in line with the Mattei Plan. This mission follows a previous one carried out in the same region in May 2024.
Led by Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the mission brought together the best of Italian public and private expertise. It was supported by the Mission Structure for the Implementation of the Mattei Plan of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which participated through its Deputy Coordinator, Lorenzo Ortona. Participants included officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – including the Minister’s Special Envoy for the Mattei Plan, Massimo Riccardo – AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation), other ministries, and CDP (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti), as well as representatives of Italian civil society organisations, Italian businesses, and international partner organisations.
During the mission, the delegation held meetings with political authorities from the partner countries, including the Prime Ministers of Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea and various ministers (e.g., Agriculture, Education, Health, Digitalisation), confirming the importance attributed to Italy in the region. The mission made it possible to enhance projects – many of them part of the Mattei Plan – launched by Italy following the 2024 mission, to identify strategic priorities for future engagement, and to define operational methods for implementing agreed actions. These focused on the transformation of agri-food systems, coffee, cocoa, health, and digitalisation, with a cross-cutting emphasis on vocational training. At each stop of the mission, the delegation held a meeting with Italian Civil Society Organisations active in the field.
In Ghana – recently added to the Mattei Plan’s focus countries – the mission particularly highlighted the initiative to strengthen agri-food ecosystems, launched in 2024 in partnership with CIHEAM and BF Spa, and a new health project was agreed upon. Also well received was a project on entrepreneurial training, presented by the CSO VIS in collaboration with the Salesians and financed by Italian Cooperation.
In Côte d’Ivoire, projects by Italian CSOs (AVSI, Albero della Vita, APPA, Save the Children Italy, and ACAP–Community of Sant’Egidio) were presented. These focus on child protection and education and were selected by AICS for a total value of €30 million. A letter of intent was signed with the Ministry of Digitalisation regarding a digital initiative, and the project – part of the Mattei Plan – supporting the Abobo Hospital was launched in the presence of the Ivorian Minister of Health. This project is financed by Italian Cooperation and implemented by the University of Padua and CUAMM. Discussions were also held with the African Development Bank – headquartered in Abidjan – regarding the operation of bilateral and multilateral funds jointly promoted by Italy and the Bank in 2024.
In Guinea, the mission launched the project to strengthen the “DREAM” Programme in the country, implemented by the University of Tor Vergata and the Community of Sant’Egidio with funding from Italian Cooperation. It was also agreed to intensify collaboration in the agri-food sector, focusing on coffee, cocoa, and rice.
