This was revealed by Stefano Gatti, Director General of the Italian Development Cooperation, at the on-going 45th edition of the Rimini meeting in Italy, where Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja is representing Uganda.

Gatti revealed that the process began two years ago with the Ministry of Finance in Italy.

‘’Two years ago, we mobilized these resources sitting on the committee of the ministry of finance; EUR 4.4 billion were allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we decided the allocation of them. This year, we have created a joint committee chaired by the Minister of Finance to allocate the EUR 2.4 billion to different geographical areas in the world. Africa is a top priority, and it was allocated 65% of the cooperation funds,’’ Gatti said.

‘’In the meetings of the joint committees chaired by the minister, we decided to open two new branches of cooperation, one in Kampala and the other in Ivory Coast, to strengthen our on-field presence,’’ he further stated.

Giampaolo Silvestri, Secretary General of AVSI, who was one of the panellists in the meeting, expressed his organizations achievements in Uganda, which have been beneficial, especially to the refugee community.

‘’We support Uganda’s effort to support and host refugees and provide them with quality education. We are in eight refugee settlements with 83000 people, and we provide food, safety, and health to the people. We have supported 13000 families, and 70% have gone above the poverty line,’’ Silvestri said.

Bernhard Scholz, President of the Foundation Meeting, highlighted Uganda’s vital role in Italy’s renewed cooperation strategy for Africa.

‘’Uganda is back again as a priority country for Italy. Kampala in particular is in the coffee addition chain, which Italy is developing to improve resilience to climate change, increase value, support local communities, and create stronger synergies with other international donors. Scholz stated.

“Uganda is a historical and traditional partner of Italy, and it remains one of the key countries in our new development cooperation strategy,” Scholz added.

During the address, the Prime Minister, Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, expressed her deep gratitude to the Italian government for its unwavering support and the inclusion of Uganda in significant initiatives aimed at fostering growth and stability across Africa.

“We are profoundly grateful to the Italian government for recognizing Uganda as one of the top 23 priority African countries to benefit from the EUR 2.3 billion investment and also to my brother, Gatti, for including Uganda in the Mattia Plan among 22 African countries. This is a testament to our strong and enduring ties,” Nabbanja said.

According to Nabbanja, Uganda’s history with Italy dates back to 1910, when the Comboni missionaries first came to Uganda, laying the foundation for vital community projects in health and education.