Undersecretary Tripodi in Addis Ababa for business forum on urban regeneration and infrastructure

The Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Maria Tripodi, is on mission in Ethiopia, where she opened the plenary session of the First Business Forum dedicated to urban regeneration and infrastructure, together with the Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide, and the Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abebe.

The Forum provided an important opportunity to present the public-private approach through which the Italian System aims to develop partnerships in a key sector for Ethiopia's development. "Italy offers cutting-edge solutions in the fields of infrastructure and urban regeneration processes", Tripodi emphasised in her remarks. Twenty-five leading Italian companies in the sector took part in the initiative and, supported by SACE, CDP, the Italian Trade Agency and SIMEST, showcased the best technologies and solutions implemented in Italy and across Europe.

The Undersecretary also took part as the sole international keynote speaker at the "Invest in Ethiopia High-Level Business Forum 2026", which in this edition brought together representatives of the business community from over 60 countries, including Italy.

On the sidelines of the event, the Undersecretary held a bilateral meeting with Minister of Finance Shide on key issues related to growth diplomacy, as well as with the Deputy Minister of Justice on cooperation projects in the field of legal diplomacy. She also met with the Deputy Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, discussing the main areas of economic and trade cooperation, including the country's WTO accession negotiations.

As part of the Italian Design Day in the World, an event was also held at "Villa Italia" - the residence of the Italian Ambassador - with the participation of over one hundred representatives from the business communities of both countries and sector experts. Alongside Francesco Galli, Italy's Design Day testimonial for Ethiopia, Undersecretary Tripodi underlined: "Excellence in design and urban regeneration represents a key driver for sustainable development and innovation, through which Italy promotes and strengthens its relations with Ethiopia".