AU Chairperson in Italy for first ever Africa-Italy conference

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is leading a delegation of African leaders for the first ever “Africa-Italy Ministerial Conference” which kicks off on Wednesday in Rome.

The conference will allow the Heads of delegation from Africa and Italy to discuss common challenges such as the fight against violent extremism, managing migration flows, and sustainable development.

Conclusions of their discussions will enable strengthened collaboration between Africa and Europe, as well as the AU Commission and the European Union to overcoming these challenges.

We look forward to Italy-Africa MinisterialConference -High Level Dialogue for sustainable&equal partnership 18/5/16 pic.twitter.com/tXdqn7H0Ql

— Amb. Smail Chergui (@AU_Chergui) May 17, 2016

Zuma is among the leaders who will address the conference together with Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi.

The Conference, which is expected to take place every two years, will set the frame for a High-Level Dialogue with the African partners, similar to the existing model Italy has developed with the Latin American countries.

The Conference will also be closely related to and in a spirit of continuity with the reflections sparked by the recent ”Mediterranean Dialogues” in Rome in December 2015 and which were focused on cooperation with the Mediterranean Countries.