Agreements signed at AFC–Italy Business Forum will deepen Africa-Italy Cooperation under the Mattei Plan to support project preparation, financing, risk-sharing across infrastructure, energy, critical minerals, industrial development and trade corridors.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) (www.AfricaFC.org), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, today signed a series of strategic cooperation agreements with leading Italian partners at the AFC–Italy Business Forum in Rome, marking a significant step in translating Italy–Africa cooperation into bankable projects, scalable financing solutions and long-term industrial partnerships across Africa.
The forum brought together senior representatives from government, including Deputy Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Valentino Valentini, and Director General of the Treasury, Riccardo Barbieri Hermitte, development finance institutions, industry, investors and project sponsors to strengthen Africa–Italy cooperation and advance the objectives of Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. As part of the strategic forum’s key outcomes, several agreements were signed with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), SACE, Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo and IMAGRO S.p.A., to establish a framework for enhanced collaboration across infrastructure financing, export credit support, project preparation, industrial procurement, business matchmaking and private sector participation in AFC-supported projects throughout Africa.
The partnerships align with the objectives of Italy’s Mattei Plan and bring together AFC’s infrastructure development mandate, African project pipeline and risk-mitigation capabilities with Italy’s development finance, export credit instruments, industrial networks and private sector capabilities. Together, the institutions will work to mobilise capital and accelerate investment across key sectors including power and renewable energy, transport and logistics, critical minerals, natural resources, heavy industry, manufacturing, technology-enabled infrastructure and regional trade corridors.
The agreements build on a growing partnership between AFC and Italian institutions. Over the last few years, CDP has provided facilities totalling EUR400M to AFC, including a EUR250 million loan in 2025, supported by an 80% guarantee from SACE. These transactions reinforce the institutions’ confidence in AFC’s ability to deliver high-impact infrastructure projects across the continent, with particular focus on the Lobito Corridor. The new cooperation frameworks expand that relationship beyond traditional development cooperation to commercially viable infrastructure and industrial projects that can deliver long-term economic competitiveness, supply chain resilience and shared prosperity.
Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO of AFC, said, “The AFC–Italy Business Forum was established to move beyond dialogue and create practical pathways for investment and industrial cooperation between Africa and Italy, and the agreements signed today demonstrate that commitment in action. By combining AFC’s project development expertise and investment pipeline with Italy’s financial, industrial and technological strengths, we are creating the partnerships needed to mobilise capital, reduce investment risk and accelerate industrial development across Africa. These collaborations will help transform opportunities into bankable projects that strengthen value chains, create jobs and support sustainable economic growth across the continent.”
Lorenzo Ortona, National Deputy Coordinator of the Mattei Plan, said “The Mattei Plan was created to build an equal partnership with African countries, grounded in concrete projects and shared benefits. Our collaboration with Africa Finance Corporation fully embodies this spirit: over these years, AFC has proven to be a reliable and capable partner, able to translate the Plan’s ambitions into bankable initiatives and real investments that benefit both African economies and the Italian system. I wish to thank AFC for the work we have accomplished together, which has made it possible to mobilise capital, share risk and open new opportunities for Italian companies along strategic value chains – from infrastructure to energy, from critical raw materials to trade corridors. The agreements signed today consolidate a journey already underway and strengthen the economic ties between Italy and the African continent. I am confident that this synergy between the Italian system and AFC can only continue to grow, generating investment, employment and shared prosperity on both shores of the Mediterranean.”
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