Between 19 and 25 September 2026, Giuseppe Cerasoli, Deputy Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), travelled to Tanzania and Kenya with Federica Massoli of AICS’s Administrative Deputy Directorate. Accompanied by Fabio Minniti, Head of AICS Nairobi, he met with Italian diplomatic representatives, visited Italian Cooperation projects in both countries, and exchanged views with organisations and partners while hearing from the people involved in the initiatives.
In Tanzania, the Deputy Director met with Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Seán Coppola to discuss relations between Italy and Tanzania and the longstanding role of Italian Cooperation in the country. He then visited the Kila Siku Rehabilitation Centre in Kawe with the civil society organisation Comunità Solidali nel Mondo (CSM). Established by CSM in 2017 through an initiative supported by Italy, the Centre houses a rehabilitation clinic regarded as a national model. It provides treatment tailored to patients’ needs and works in the areas of epilepsy, disability and malnutrition. The delegation then visited Kivunge Hospital on Unguja Island, in the Zanzibar archipelago. With the support of Italian Cooperation, Doctors with Africa CUAMM has helped train healthcare staff providing maternity care at the hospital. The hospital also inaugurated Zanzibar’s first neonatal simulation training centre, a reference point for practical neonatal training.
In Kenya, Italian Ambassador Vincenzo Del Monaco joined the delegation’s visit to Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital, alongside representatives of World Friends. A short ceremony marked the handover of new medical equipment donated through an AICS-managed initiative to strengthen the services the hospital provides to local communities. The delegation then visited the Shalom Centre, run by the civil society organisation L’Africa Chiama, where Dr Cerasoli met children, adolescents and mothers supported by the Centre. Among its services, the facility provides physiotherapy for approximately 40 children with disabilities, support for 20 mothers living with HIV, and recreational and social inclusion activities for young people in vulnerable situations. The mission continued with a visit to Tabasamu la Mama, where Amani and Koinonia welcome mothers and children living on the streets of Kibera, one of Kenya’s largest informal settlements. The centre is part of an initiative promoting the empowerment and employability of vulnerable women and girls in densely populated areas of Nairobi. At Tabasamu la Mama, women and their children receive support on their path towards economic independence through training and psychological assistance.
Approximately 30 km from Nairobi, the delegation visited the situation room at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). Developed with a contribution from Italian Cooperation in partnership with UNDRR, it monitors natural hazards and disasters across East Africa and the Horn of Africa. The facility forms part of the African Union’s continental early warning and emergency response system. The visit took place as the situation room was monitoring the development of El Niño, with above-average rainfall expected during the October–December season and a high risk of flooding across the Horn of Africa. The delegation also visited the Don Bosco Training Centre in Karen, the main training hub for a sustainable fashion initiative implemented by the International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative with the support of Italian Cooperation. The project offers training in leatherwork, textiles and circular design, creating new professional opportunities for young people and women.
During the mission, Dr Cerasoli also met representatives of the Lombardy Region, who were visiting Kenya for institutional meetings with partners of AGRIPACT, an initiative recently approved by Italian Cooperation. The delegation held the final meeting of an internal audit of AICS Nairobi’s activities. The mission concluded with a discussion with staff about work carried out to date and future priorities in the countries covered by the office.
