Saudi Arabia and Italy are strengthening their cooperation to develop coffee supply chains in Africa
Hold Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the twenty-first session of the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Riyadh, with the participation of representatives from Saudi coffee; To discuss opportunities for cooperation between the Kingdom and Italy with the organization to develop coffee supply chains in Africa.
The Italian side reviewed the initiative "ACT – Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee Programme,” which is implemented by UNIDO and supported by Italy as one of the main initiatives to support the sustainability of the coffee sector in a number of selected African countries, within the framework of the comprehensive Italian strategy for the coffee sector.
Developing coffee supply chains
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in partnership with the Saudi Coffee Company as the national partner in developing the coffee value chain in the Kingdom, intends to explore the potential paths proposed by UNIDO. And the Republic of Italy, to contribute to the development of coffee supply chains in Africa, including ways to enhance productivity, expand value-added manufacturing operations, and support measures that contribute to building more flexible and sustainable supply chains, in coordination with the relevant government agencies in the Kingdom.
For its part, the Saudi Coffee Company confirmed its readiness to participate in joint exploration efforts, relying on its technical and operational experience in developing coffee value chains, starting from the stages of cultivation and processing, all the way to manufacturing and marketing, and the company will also contribute to identifying opportunities. Through which it is possible to benefit from the position of Jazan Port as an important logistical gateway to support coffee trade flows and enhance connectivity with African countries that produce it.
This meeting comes on the sidelines of the twenty-first general conference of UNIDO in Riyadh, which witnessed the transfer of the presidency of the conference from the Republic of Italy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a move that reflects the international community’s confidence in the Kingdom’s leadership role in supporting industrial development and enhancing multilateral cooperation.
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