SACE and Metito Utilities strengthen cooperation between Italy and United Arab Emirates for Africa under the ‘Mattei Plan’
SACE, the Italian insurance-financial group specializing in supporting businesses and the national economic system under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Metito Utilities, a global investor, developer, and operator of sustainable water management solutions and climate-resilient water assets, today signed a collaboration agreement to foster investment in Africa in strategic alignment with the Mattei Plan for Africa launched by the Italian Government.
The agreement has been signed by Alessandra Ricci, CEO of SACE, and Walid Madwar, Chief Commercial Officer of Metito Utilities L.L.C., during the Italy – UAE Business Forum at Rome, Parco dei Principi Hotel, at the presence of The Italian President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The initiative explores insurance and financial solutions, on tied and untied basis, for an amount up to 100 million dollars, that involve the participation of SACE to facilitate exports from Italy to UAE and Africa through tools such as the Push Strategy as an untied export credit product, traditional export credit insurance and the internationalization of Italian companies.
This cooperation will focus on several strategic sectors including but not limited to projects related to water, wastewater, desalination, waste-to-energy projects whether these be for industrial applications, irrigation or domestic use within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Africa and other suitable areas.
Metito Utilities has over 25 years specialized experience in investment, development, and long-term operation and maintenance of water and wastewater concessions. With a proven-track record of pioneering Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) project in countries as such Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Qatar and beyond, the company has set benchmarks in sustainable water management. As part of its commitment to expanding water security across Africa, Metito Utilities established Africa Water Infrastructure Development (AWID) in 2023, a joint venture with British International Investment (BII), to develop climate-resilient water and wastewater infrastructure using innovative financing models and green technologies.
“The collaboration agreement between SACE and Metito Utilities confirms our strategic commitment in Africa, aligned with the Mattei Plan - stated Alessandra Ricci, CEO of SACE - This partnership supports Italian businesses in sectors like water, wastewater, desalination, and waste-to-energy projects. By leveraging Metito’s expertise and our financial solutions, we aim to facilitate exports and enhance the growth of Italian companies. We look forward to impactful results and furthering cooperation and innovation”.
“Through this collaboration with SACE, we are reinforcing our long-standing commitment to sustainable water infrastructure development across Africa and beyond - said Walid Madwar, Chief Commercial Officer of Metito Utilities - Metito Utilities has been at the forefront of pioneering water and wastewater projects in these regions, and with initiatives such as AWID, we continue to strengthen our presence while driving investment into climate-resilient water solutions. By combining our expertise with SACE’s financial solutions, we aim to accelerate critical water projects that will foster economic growth, sustainability, and long-term resilience”.