Taking part were Italian business organisations and the agricultural ministers of a number of sub-Saharan African countries.
Diana Battaggia, director of UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Italy, explained, "Africa is the continent against which the growth prospects for the near future will be measured. Investment is tending to increase and the one-way approach to cooperation, based on mere financial aid, is being abandoned. [...] UNIDO wants to see a greater involvement by Italian businesses in supporting the growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the countries of Africa, through direct investment in the agro-industrial sector and a commitment to technology design and transfer."
The forum coincided with the 37th conference of the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and was "an opportunity to reflect on the role of agriculture worldwide."
The point was underscored by the Foreign Ministry's (director general for global affairs), Giandomenico Magliano. He stated that Italy is collaborating with UNIDO "to make agricultural development the lynchpin of sustainability" with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. But to do this, explained Magliano, input is needed from the business community too.
