Vienna, 25 March 2025 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Italy have marked a new milestone in their long-standing partnership to advance sustainable economic and industrial development, entering a new level in their collaboration to promote sustainable coffee production. 

Italy supports UNIDO in promoting Africa’s sustainable industrialization, in line with the Mattei Plan’s focus on food security, renewable energy, and job creation, as reaffirmed during the Italy-Africa Summit in January 2024. 

A signing ceremony at UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna marked the launch of the “Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee” (ACT) programme, with a total budget of €15 million. The UNIDO Director General, Gerd Müller, emphasized the urgency and significance of the partnership, stating: “Around 125 million people worldwide depend on coffee for their livelihoods. This programme will help to improve the lives of the people at beginning of the coffee supply chain. Better jobs and better incomes for families and communities. I am very grateful to the Government of Italy and to all of our other partners in this initiative. This flagship initiative under the Mattei Plan is the largest programme ever financed by Italy, further deepening our great cooperation especially in the coffee sector!” 

The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy to the International Organizations in Vienna, Debora Lepre, underlined Italy’s commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture and economic resilience, stating: "The signing of this funding arrangement marks an important milestone in our long-standing collaboration with UNIDO and aims to trigger a chain reaction to attract other partners and investments, promoting a new paradigm of development cooperation as a partnership between equals." 

Coffee remains one of the world’s most important cash crops deeply embedded in our cultures and economies, sustaining over 12.5 million farms globally.  In Africa, coffee accounts for approximately 12% of the global production. Coffee plays a fundamental role, representing a source of foreign currency, tax income generation, and jobs in both producing and consuming countries. Despite the increasing global demand for coffee, the sector faces mounting challenges, including climate change, fluctuating global prices, and regulatory pressures, all of which threaten the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.   

The programme adopts a comprehensive, multi-pillar approach to support coffee-producing countries in Africa. It seeks to transform the sector through a blend of technical assistance, financial instruments and policy support, ensuring a sustainable and climate-resilient coffee economy.  

This flagship initiative under the Mattei Plan aligns with the African Union Agenda 2063 and the African Coffee Summit recommendations, the European Union Global Gateway and Team Europe approach, reinforcing the importance of coffee in global economic development. Moreover, it builds on a strong partnership with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Inter African Coffee Organization (IACO) as well as a structured collaboration with the private sector.  

The ACT Coffee initiative aims to support African coffee-producing countries in achieving a structural transformation of the coffee value chain, advancing socio-economic sustainability and climate resilience through ad hoc technical assistance, strategic partnerships and leveraging of financial resources. The programme, initially focused on East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi), is designed to be scaled-up across the entire African Continent. 

For more information, please contact: 

Mr. Andrea De Marco 

Partnership Advisor 

Email