Forum Africa Green Growth - 4th edition

With the collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internation Cooperation and of RES4Africa

Ecomondo, from 2021, will place Africa at the centre of its international development strategies, with the aim of increasing development opportunities for our companies in the water, energy, agri-food and circular bio-economy sectors, and fostering connection and exchange between the various stakeholders involved.

This new edition of the Forum will focus on that part of the Mattei Plan dedicated to Africa's sustainable development (sustainable sources and circular economy) and will see the participation of both institutional representatives and testimonials, including countries and companies.

The event represents a continuity with the actions and commitments of the G7 and Europe established and agreed upon in the ‘Venaria Charter’, retracing the G7 MASE themes in several ‘stages’ during the year of the Italian Presidency. 

Draft programme

14.00-15.00 Greetings
Corrado Arturo Peraboni, CEO Italian Exhibition Group
Representative of the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (TBC)

Modera:
Francesca Salvemini, Head of the Minister's Technical Secretariat, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

Institutional greetings

Lorenzo Ortona, Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Mission Structure for the Implementation of the Mattei Plan
Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director General, Directorate General for the Promotion of the Country System, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Loredana Gulino, Head of General Administration, Planning and Natural Heritage Department (DiAG), Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security
Antonella Baldino, Head of Business Promotion and Portfolio Management International Cooperation CDP Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (TBC)
H.E. Youssef Balla, Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Italy (TBC)
H.E. Fredrick L. Matwang’a, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Italy (TBC)

Opening Speeches

Session 1
Mattei Plan: dialogue between institutions and the private sector for a sustainable development in Africa

15.00-16.00
Panel 1 – The Mattei Plan in Morocco in the field of sustainable energy training ​ 

The Mattei Plan supports the establishment of a Centre of Excellence aimed at the entire African continent and based in Morocco for training in the renewable energy and energy transition sector, whose objective is to strengthen the necessary managerial and professional capacities. 
Morocco, thanks to its efforts in recent years to develop renewable energies on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, has been chosen for the creation of a Centre of Excellence for training in renewable energies dedicated to all African countries. The project will be developed under the aegis of the Italian and Moroccan governments, in line with EU policies, with a view to cooperation open to the continent. The centre will train experts, administrators and technicians in the field of renewable energy and electricity infrastructure, contributing directly to African energy development in a sustainable manner

Moderator:
Loredana Gulino, Head of General Administration, Planning and Natural Heritage Department (DiAG), Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

Speech proposal:
Enel Group
Mohamed VI Polytechnic University (Confirmation by Silvia D’Ovidio)
Bocconi University/Milan Polytechnic University
Officer/manager from Morocco involved in the training programme
Officer/manager from the rest of Africa involved in the training programme

16.00-17.00
Panel 2 – Energy, agriculture, circular economy and socio-economic development in Kenya

The Mattei Plan supports the development of the biofuel supply chain in Africa through the production of vegetable oil, to be used as feedstock for biorefineries, from raw materials grown on degraded, polluted or abandoned land, from second-harvest crops, not in competition but in synergy with the agro-food chain. Added to this is the support for the use and valorisation of waste (used cooking oil) and agro-industrial waste to promote circular economy processes. The objective of these initiatives is to regenerate degraded territories through the introduction of best agricultural practices and mechanisation, creating rural income and market access for the local farmers involved and thus fostering socio-economic development.
In Kenya, the Mattei Plan, in agreement with the local government as part of its energy diversification policy, is supporting these initiatives along the lines of what Eni has done, through the Italian Climate Fund and together with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), with a total loan of USD 210 million. This will enable the involvement of up to 200,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers and expand the socio-economic impact of the initiative, while supporting the production of advanced biofuels and the decarbonisation of the global transport system.  

Moderator:
Francesca Salvemini, Head of the Minister's Technical Secretariat, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

Speech proposal:
Luigi Ciarrocchi, Director CCUS, Forestry &Agri-feedstock – ENI
Representative of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti CDP 
Laetitia Dumas, Strategic Programming and Development Cooperation, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Kenyan farmer (male or female)

Session 2 – Round table
Case studies of cooperation and future perspectives in the circular economy sectors applied to textiles, WEEE, packaging, bioenergy

17.00-17.45 Short speeches by representatives of companies or consortia of companies

Case History by ASSAFRICA (TBD) 

Experiences of direct support for the establishment of EPR systems on the African continent 
Joachim Quoden, EXPRA
Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI 

The friperie sector in Tunisia. A virtuous story for the valorisation of textile
Elisabetta Perrotta, Direttrice di Assoambiente/Unirau 

New technologies for new wealth. Italian companies as a possible catalyst for Africa's circular economy
Rocco Lombardi, Confindustria Cisambiente 

The Farming for future project: An agricultural model scalable across national borders 
Piero Gattoni, Presidente CIB 

17.45 Conclusions