ROME (ITALPRESS) – A training course dedicated to Italian companies wishing to acquire skills to operate in the geographies included in the Mattei Plan, which aims to create trade relations and enhance Italian excellence. It is “Africa Champion Program,” launched by Sace under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the mission structure for the implementation of the Mattei Plan of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers together with institutional actors such as the Ice Agency, Cop, Simest, Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo and Càmara de Comèrcio Mocambique-Itàlia, which will officially kick off in 2025. “This is a program of training and meetings with those who can be the new players that Italian companies can deal with in Africa. Together with the world of Italian institutions and players in the system, we want to accompany this approach to Africa, and we can do this because we start from what is our knowledge of that territory. Since the beginning of the Mattei Plan we have already carried out 1.2 billion initiatives and we are starting from here to make sure that there is even greater momentum for SMEs to enter Africa,” explained Alessandra Ricci, Ad of Sace, stressing that the current geopolitical situation is not creating difficulties as “it has affected other areas. We had already identified Africa as one of the potential so-called gate countries; in fact, we are opening a new office in Rabat, Morocco, in addition to the other two offices in Cairo and Johannesburg.” For Alessandro Terzulli, Sace’s Chief Economist, this is “a Continent with high potential; it is positioned to seize some macro trends that will increasingly take hold such as demographics, the development of a middle class, urbanization, and technology. A trailing approach is needed for our businesses so that they can seize the potential, but the bilateral aspect is also imprinted.” The project is divided into two phases: a training course divided into 3 modules with vertical insights on the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia, Kenya and on three key sectors: energy, infrastructure and agribusiness; and Business Matching, or a second phase dedicated to the creation of business opportunities through business matching sessions, between Italian companies and African counterparts, also as part of Sace’s push strategy program.Africa Champion Program is just the beginning of a series of opportunities for discussion and sharing of visions and concrete tools to support Italian companies that are interested in approaching the African market or that are already present and intend to strengthen their presence in the geographical area. Africa is looking to the future with the momentum of a region that, after years that are not easy, aims to be the next protagonist of global growth. Despite the usual, profound differences among the more than 50 countries that make up the African continent, there are positive signs coming from markets of interest to our companies. Trade between Italy and Africa has already shown significant potential during 2024 reaching 60 billion euros, as shown by Istat data collected by Sace’s Sudi Office. Forecasts for 2025 are positive: in fact, an increase of 7.7% is expected in North Africa and 8.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa, considering respectively 14 billion and 6.5 billion, Italian exports recorded in 2023. In this context, Sace’s new approach for Africa has seen a growing exposure to the continent: since 2022 Sace has deliberated 1.2 billion in 2024, the start date of the Mattei Plan. To the traditional export credit offering, in collaboration with the Mattei Plan Mission Structure Sace added push operations to strengthen the role of Italian companies in Africa, identifying high-potential geographies such as the Ivory Coast, Senegal and the first Push Strategy operation in Benin, granting a guarantee to cover a 120 million euro loan destined for the Benin Ministry of Finance. Sace also guaranteed the first €100 million loan to the multilateral Trade Development Bank (TDB) to foster sustainable growth and African regional integration, increasing export opportunities for Italian companies.(ITALPRESS).-Photo: xb1/Italpress-
