Southern Africa is an important region for Italian initiatives not only in the economic, but also in the cultural and scientific fields. In recent years, Italy has also paid particular attention to environmental protection, by negotiating agreements with various States in the region.
The most economically and politically active countries in the region are Angola and South Africa, which play a fundamental role in starting virtuous processes in Africa. Italy can boast excellent relations with these two countries. Mozambique is also one of our traditional partners, thanks to the central role played by Italy in the negotiations that put an end to the civil war in 1992. Italy is still one of the top investors in the country, despite the fragility of this State, which is particularly threatened by the terrorist crisis in the Cabo Delgado province in the north of the country.
Indeed, security crises – particularly in Cabo Delgado and the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo – risk undermining the promising but fragile development results achieved in Southern Africa. Italy, together with the European Union, is ready to stand by its partners in the region for stability, as witnessed by our contribution to the European Union Military Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique) and the activities funded by Italy’s Development Cooperation.
Italy also has stable relations with the main regional economic communities: the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Southern African Development Community.