Italy to give 80 million euros to Africa Fund

Rome, Feb 6 (IANS/AKI) The Italian government will earmark 80 million euros for the Africa Fund for the period 2018-2019, Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said on Monday as he opened a conference on migration from Africa to Europe.

'A Shared Responsibility for a Common Goal: Solidarity and Security' is taking place at the Foreign Ministry here and is the brainchild of Alfano.

Representatives from Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Libya, Malta, Niger, Spain, Sudan, The Netherlands and Tunisia are taking part in the meeting as well as the European Union's Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Senior officials from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, from the UN migration agency the International Organisation for Migration and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe are also attending the conference.

Alfano and Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni have both underlined that Africa is a top priority for Italy. During a visit to Africa in November, Gentiloni said that Africa would determine the EU's future.

Italy was the third largest investor in Africa in 2016 and the foremost in Europe, Gentiloni said during his visit.

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