The Embassy of Italy in Singapore hosted the roundtable “New Partnerships in Africa: Singapore’s Outreach and Italy’s Mattei Plan” at Sala Italia, bringing together leaders from Italy, Singapore, and Africa to explore opportunities for triangular cooperation.
Dante Brandi, Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei, opened the event by highlighting Italy’s long-standing engagement with Africa and the Mattei Plan as a framework for partnerships based on equality, shared growth, and co-ownership of projects. He also noted the alignment between Italy’s renewed focus on Africa and Singapore’s expanding presence on the continent.
Teo Siong Seng, Executive Chairman of Pacific International Lines (PTE) Ltd and Co-Chair of the Africa–Southeast Asia Chamber of Commerce, shared PIL’s five decades of experience in Africa and welcomed closer collaboration between Italian and Singaporean actors in logistics, maritime connectivity, and trade facilitation.
Pietro Ginefra, Financial Attaché at the Embassy, presented the Mattei Plan’s financial tools, including the Revolving Fund, Italian Climate Fund, CDP, SIMEST, and SACE, highlighting pilot projects in energy, water, agriculture, education, and infrastructure across 14 African countries.
Ho Chee Hin, Executive Director for South Asia, Middle East and Africa at Enterprise Singapore, outlined Singapore’s growing footprint in Africa, with over 150 companies active in 40 markets, and emphasized synergies with Italian expertise to co-develop bankable projects and innovative financing solutions.
Guglielmo Picchi, Chairman of SACE (Italy’s Export Credit Agency), described how SACE supports international operations with export credit, guarantees, and risk-mitigation tools, inviting Singaporean and African partners to explore joint projects with Italian companies in energy transition, water, transport, and social infrastructure.
The roundtable confirmed strong potential for Italy-Singapore-Africa cooperation, combining Italy’s industrial and financial capabilities, Singapore’s global hub strengths, and Africa’s development priorities.
