ROME, June 23 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — Tanzanian Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango said that the development partnership between Africa and Italy under the Mattei Plan, along with the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, holds great potential to accelerate Africa’s progress in infrastructure, human capital development, agriculture and digital transformation.
He made the remarks in Rome, Italy, where he represented President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Africa–Italy Development Partnership Summit held at Villa Doria Pamphili.
The VP stressed the importance of strategic international collaborations in accelerating Africa’s socio economic transformation, noting that both initiatives present valuable opportunities for African countries to harness investment and innovation in key development sectors.
Dr Mpango said the Africa–Italy Development Partnership Summit focused on advancing Africa’s development priorities, with a strong commitment to translating discussions into tangible projects.
He said one of the key areas of discussion was value addition in agricultural commodities particularly coffee aimed at enabling African countries to reap greater economic benefits and generate employment opportunities through the sector.
Dr Mpango noted that Tanzania, as the fourth largest coffee exporter in Africa outside the continent, stands to benefit significantly from initiatives focused on value addition within the coffee value chain.
He further said the summit also deliberated on the need for increased investment in human capital development to improve living conditions across the continent and curb irregular migration of African citizens to European countries.
The VP said the Mattei Plan represents a shift from traditional development aid to a new model of joint strategic investment that is expected to spur job creation and foster sustainable development across Africa.
He said the summit prioritised key sectors such as coffee value addition, sustainable energy, infrastructure development including the Lobito Corridor and digital transformation, particularly the use of artificial intelligence to boost economic growth.
Tanzania is among 14 African countries identified as priority partners under Italy’s new strategic Mattei Plan, with flagship investments focused on energy, education and agriculture. A total of 5.5 billion Euros has been earmarked for the implementation of the first phase of the projects.
Dr Mpango also highlighted the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, which aims to enhance infrastructure development in digital connectivity, energy, transport, health, education and research.
The EU plans to mobilise investments worth 300 billion Euros by 2027, with 150 billion Euros specifically allocated to Africa.
As part of this initiative, the EU is committed to expanding the Blue Raman digital communications project an undersea fibre optic cable connecting Europe and India with plans to extend it to Tanzania, thereby integrating East Africa into the global digital infrastructure.
The summit brought together leaders from across Africa, the European Union and international financial institutions, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and African Development Bank (AfDB).
Development partners, including international financial institutions, the EU and the government of Italy, pledged financial support for the implementation of various projects under the Mattei Plan. — NNN-DAILYNEWS
