Italian businesses in Ghana are seeking partnerships with member countries of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to grow their presence on the African continent. 

According to the Trade Commissioner of the Italian Trade Agency, Alessandro Gerbino, Italy has advanced technology to support businesses on the African continent.

He was speaking at a wine tasting event for the finest wines from Italy in Accra.

”It’s a very big opportunity for foreign companies and local companies because the reach that each company will be able to get is going to get bigger. And our proposal to the scenario is to partner because we’re a very big manufacturer."

"Italy isn’t a country particularly rich in natural resources, Ghana is, what we are good at is transforming things, we have good technology and we can use it outside Italy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Ambassador to Ghana, Daniela d’Orlandi, says trade relations between Italy and Ghana is expected to grow in the coming years as the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control.

“Within the premises of the embassy, we have an Italian trade agency which is aimed at promoting relations between Italian and Ghanaian businesses, access to training, marketing skills, finance and to develop joint projects also with local entities such as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and others."

"The Global Alliance on Vaccine and Immunisation has made a list of 92 countries of which Ghana is a part for access to the vaccine and Italy is very supportive of this. So we hope that next year the situation worldwide will get better and our mutual trade relations will get better,” she said.  

The Embassy of Italy and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) organised the event, ‘Aperitivo in Giardino’, (‘Aperitif in the Garden’), to mark the 5th Italian Cuisine Week in Ghana.