Italy Explores Enhanced Collaboration with CFC to Boost Sustainable Commodity Development
14 July 2025, Amsterdam – H.E. Mr. Augusto Massari, the newly appointed Ambassador of Italy to the Netherlands, visited the CFC Secretariat today, where he was warmly welcomed by CFC Managing Director Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal. Ambassador Massari was accompanied by Mr. Matteo Longobardi and Mr. Alessandro Croin from the Italian Embassy.
During the meeting, Ambassador Belal provided a detailed overview of CFC’s initiatives, highlighting the organization’s expanding role in sustainable development and poverty reduction amid global crises. He stressed the importance of collective action and stronger partnerships—particularly between CFC and Italy—to address pressing challenges.
Aligning Italy's Mattei Plan with CFC's Mission
Ambassador Belal noted Italy's recent launch of the Mattei Plan, which Ambassador Massari elaborated as Italy's comprehensive strategy for equitable and sustainable development partnerships with African nations. The plan focuses on five key pillars: energy transition, agriculture and food security, education/training, healthcare, and water management - all implemented through a non-predatory approach emphasizing local capacity building.
Ambassador Massari assured that Italy would actively explore synergies between the Mattei Plan and CFC's initiatives
Strengthening Private Sector Engagement
In response to Ambassador Belal’s request to connect CFC with Italian commodity businesses, Ambassador Massari affirmed Italy’s willingness to facilitate such partnerships. He emphasized Italy’s desire to deepen collaboration with CFC, ensuring that Italian companies play a greater role in sustainable commodity solutions—especially for African nations.
Pioneering Coffee Value Chain Transformation
Ambassador Belal proposed a groundbreaking initiative aligned with recent agreements under the Finance for Development (FfD4) Forum in Seville, Spain. Given Italy’s position as the world’s largest coffee roaster, he urged Italy to take a leadership role in promoting 5% coffee roasting at origin—a pilot project that could:
- Increase income for coffee-producing countries
- Create local jobs and reduce inequality in the value chain
- Maintain quality and traceability standards
CFC offered its extensive project pipeline to support this initiative, inviting Italy to serve as both a sponsor and technical advisor. Ambassador Massari gave a patient hearing and would like to explore options for value addition at origin if feasible.
Addressing Migration Through Economic Opportunity
Ambassador Belal also highlighted the need for job creation in migrant-sourcing countries to address the root causes of illegal migration. While the EU has largely focused on deterrence, he argued for proactive investment in gainful employment opportunities—such as agro-processing and value addition—to provide alternatives to migration. CFC stands ready to support Italian-led initiatives in this area.
Advocating for the ACT Fund
Ambassador Belal invited Italy to champion CFC’s newly established Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, which seeks catalytic investments to revolutionize commodity sectors in line with the SDGs.
Ambassador Massari commended CFC’s efforts, particularly its Humanizing Value Chains (HVC) initiative, and expressed interest in linking Italian brands with CFC-led pilot projects. Given Italy’s strong agricultural sector, he looked forward to expanded cooperation with CFC in the future.
The meeting concluded with mutual commitments to advance discussions and take concrete steps toward deeper collaboration.
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[CFC Media Relations Team]
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