Reggio Calabria, 13 March 2018 - Confindustria Reggio Calabria and UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) continue the common path toward industrial cooperation between local companies and developing countries. This is a synergy between the association of via del Torrione and the specialized agency of the United Nations, which started last year and is already producing significant results.

The new development and investment opportunities in Uzbekistan, Senegal, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Bahrain were the focus of the operational meeting hosted at Confindustria Reggio Calabria headquarters. The meeting was enriched by the participation of several personalities of Confindustria Reggio Calabria, namely the President , Mr. Giuseppe Nucera, the Director, Ms. Francesca Cozzupoli, the Internationalization manager, Ms. Mariella Costantino, and the UNIDO expert on Investment promotion, Mr. Francesco Pallocca. The event has been also attended by local companies working in the agro-industry sectors, business services, the leather industry, fishing and the cold chain.

“We are proud of the path undertaken alongside UNIDO - said Nucera - because it allows us to broaden the horizons of our companies, offering them opportunities and operational tools able to attract investments and compete in international markets. We just want to focus the attention on the enormous growth of the agri-food sector which, in the last years, has recorded +12.9% on a regional scale. The response of companies involved in this project is extremely comfortable, in terms of preparation, availability and competence.”

“We have now started a direct line with UNIDO - Costantino explained – because we strongly believe that internationalization is an indispensable way for local productive firms. The challenges of competitiveness and innovation impose a strong ability to operate in different global contexts, and our companies have all the right credentials to positively affirm themselves in the referred markets. Just think about the sectors such as agri-food and tourism in which our territory is expression of authentic excellence. With UNIDO, we will continue in this direction, promoting other operational comparison for the most strategic assets of the local economy.”

Concerning the fishery sector, as explained by Pallocca, important opportunities exist in West African countries, with a strong demand for training not only for fishermen, but for all operators in the supply chain. Furthermore, in this area the effort is aimed at overcoming the barriers linked to certifications, in order to facilitate access to European markets. In this context, the creation of partnerships with local companies and the organization of meetings with African counterparts are very useful.

In central Asia, with a particular focus in Uzbekistan, there is a significant interest in food, agro-tech and tourism due to the fact that many investments have been implemented  by the Asian economies on the new “silk road”. Moreover, it is worth mentioning ho.re.ca. sector in Bahrain, as well as Ethiopia, with the development and implementation of the agro-industrial chains. Other contexts in which UNIDO is active at this time concern the environment and renewable energy, specifically in Morocco, Lebanon and Tunisia.