From 24 to 29 March, the Embassy of Italy to Kenya and AICS Nairobi hosted a high-level delegation from Italy as part of the Italian Cooperation’s Missione di Sistema. The delegation was led by the Director General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Stefano Gatti, with the participation of AICS Director Marco Riccardo Rusconi, as well as representatives from AICS headquarters in Rome.
A dedicated session held at the AICS Nairobi office provided an opportunity to take stock of the Italian Cooperation portfolio in Kenya, reviewing results achieved, ongoing challenges, and future perspectives across key intervention areas.
Alongside the Missione di Sistema official meetings, AICS Director Rusconi, a delegation coming from Rome alongside with the Nairobi Office delegation carried out a series of important site visits and participated in high-level events, notably:
- The Ambosetti Climate Change Global Business Summit: AICS Director Rusconi spoke at this flagship event on the role of the private sector in building a climate-resilient Africa. Addressing the topic of strengthening Kenya’s food value chains, he argued that the restoration of natural capital — including tree planting, water harvesting, and agroforestry — must become an integral part of food production systems. Regenerating nature, he emphasised, is not a luxury, but the most pragmatic strategy available for improving rural livelihoods.
- E4Impact Entrepreneurship Centre, Nairobi: Italian Cooperation has been a cornerstone partner in building this leading hub for inclusive entrepreneurship in Kenya. To date, the Centre has trained over 4,000 entrepreneurs, incubated more than 500 businesses, contributed to the creation of 24,000+ jobs, empowered over 1,700 women entrepreneurs, and supported startups in raising more than €10 million. The visit reaffirmed a shared vision to promote inclusive and sustainable growth through entrepreneurship.
- Field Visit to Kilifi County: over the weekend, the delegation visited Pwani University, where AICS Director Rusconi reaffirmed Italy’s long-term commitment to the Kenyan coast and highlighted the ongoing academic partnership with the University of Milan. The mission continued to Mtongani village, where the ECOS project — implemented by the NGO CAST — is transforming coastal livelihoods through aquaculture, mangrove restoration, and sustainable fishing practices. At Malindi Sub County Hospital, the delegation visited a newly completed Italian-funded Maternity Ward, already operational and welcoming mothers and newborns, as well as a newly built Intensive Care Unit. The visit concluded with a meeting with Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mung’aro to discuss the path forward for cooperation in health and the blue economy, with the participation of a representative from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
This intense and wide-ranging programme reaffirmed that Italy’s development cooperation in Kenya goes beyond funding — it is about building lasting partnerships and enabling ecosystems where people and nature can thrive.
