The Foreign Ministry has provided two new allocations from the Africa Fund: a first 800,000-euro contribution was allocated to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with the aim of building the capacity of the judicial Authorities of Niger in combating human trafficking and enhancing the judicial cooperation with Italy. Niger is at the crossroads of migration routes towards the Central Mediterranean and therefore remains a priority beneficiary for Italy.
In 2019, the Africa Fund has allocated almost 10 million euros to Niger to increase assistance to migrants and refugees and consolidate the technical support provided to local Authorities in fighting irregular immigration.
The second 642,000-euro contribution will be allocated to the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in order to foster inclusive credit services for refugees and hosting communities in the Tigray, Somaliland and Addis Ababa regions of Ethiopia. This new project will improve the economic self-sufficiency and saving capacity of refugees, especially women, and also provide financial support to Ethiopian citizens who voluntarily return to their Country.