Seychelles participates in first Italy-Africa Summit |01 February 2024

Souvenir photo of the delegates at the first Italy-Africa Summit (Photo: Contributed)

Seychelles’ Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Conrad Mederic, represented President Wavel Ramkalawan at the first Italy-Africa Summit, held on January 29, 2024 in Rome.

The summit was hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, under the theme ‘A bridge for common growth’ and is the first international high-level event organised in Rome since Italy assumed the  G7 presidency on January 1, 2024, attesting to the importance that the Italian government attributes to its partnership with African countries.

It is also the first time that the Italy-Africa conference is being held as a summit of heads of state and government, having been held only at ministerial level until now.

“The objective is to present to African countries our vision of development for Africa. The idea is to work together as equals and to grow together,” said Prime Minister Meloni in her opening statement.

The Italian prime minister pledged an initial EUR 5.5 billion towards climate adaptation and clean energy development in Africa.

During his intervention on economic and infrastructural cooperation, Ambassador Mederic recognised that emerging global challenges such as climate change, transnational organised crimes, and ongoing armed conflicts create the demand for a new dimension for international development cooperation.

 He called on all delegates to seize the platform as an opportunity to formulate strategies in which we can all work together, to be adequately resourced to confront and respond to these adversities and other pressing international concerns.

Ambassador Mederic was accompanied by the minister-counsellor at the Embassy of Seychelles in Paris, Jacques Belle, and Paola Adelmann from the Seychelles consulate in Rome.

Press release from the department of Foreign Affairs