|
 In
recent years, UNIDO ITPO Italy has enhanced its support
to the economic development of Sub-Saharan Africa, an
interesting area for the creation of economic
partnerships and the promotion of foreign investment. It
is also a priority region for Italy, the UN System, and
UNIDO itself.
In 2008,
the activities carried out by the Office centred on
attracting more attention to the continent and
multiplying efforts to have Italian companies take
advantage of the economic opportunities offered by
African markets and resources.
The
activities carried forward by UNIDO ITPO Italy aim to
attract foreign investment and develop technical and
managerial capacities, necessary to start a process of
sustainable development having a positive social impact.
In particular, the objectives of these activities are
to:
-
Improve the investment climate at the economic,
legal, and administrative levels;
-
Facilitate access to international financing through
the improved targeting of services offered by
financial institutions and by identifying new and
more efficient credit and/or soft-loan schemes;
-
Develop local entrepreneurship, attract FDI, and
strengthen public-private partnerships; and,
-
Facilitate the transfer of know-how and expertise
for capacity-building activities to local
institutions involved in the promotion of the
economic and productive systems of African
countries.
As an
example, the intense joint promotional activities of
ITPO Italy and the Delegates from Ethiopia, Senegal, and
Tanzania allowed major Italian business institutions to
get acquainted with the new African investment climate
and orient the interest of their associated companies to
a continent offering huge investment opportunities. In
fact, many useful contacts were established.
ITPO Italy
conducted a process of reflection about the limited
activities of Italian SMEs in Africa, as well as
opportunities and constraints perceived by them in their
approach to the continent. Given the widely recognized
potential of foreign investment for accelerating the
continent’s industrial development, existing government
programs and instruments intended to favour Italian
companies and enhance their capacity to support
industrialization processes in Africa were reviewed.
The process involved several actors, such as banks,
other financial institutions, investment promotion
bodies, and business associations.
Among the
issues that emerged in the reflection group, there is
the need for more precise and better quality information
about business opportunities in Africa, targeting more
directly and effectively small and medium-sized Italian
companies. Public and private institutions need to have
a proactive attitude and a practical approach in
selecting and presenting projects to Italian companies.
It has been noticed that the small size of most Italian
companies, often mentioned as a limit to international
expansion, can facilitate the dialogue and collaboration
with African enterprises, since most African firms are
SMEs. Finally, the plurality of points of view ensured
that all possible avenues for encouraging Italian SMEs
to consider Africa were followed and that, as a result,
investment and technology flows towards Africa would
face fewer obstacles.
Africa is poorly represented also in the CDM pipeline
(Kyoto mechanism). To try to change this state of
affairs, at least in future, ITPO Italy made an
informative presentation to the Ethiopian and Tanzanian
Delegates on the opportunities of using this mechanism.
Both Ethiopia and Tanzania are on the UNFCCC list of
LLDCs, (Least Developed Countries) which reduces the
cost of CDM project development for them and gives them
access to the climate change Adaptation Fund . |
