MCDF CEO Meets IFAD President and Italy Officials in Rome to Advance Connectivity Collaboration

Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) CEO Zhongjing Wang met International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Alvaro Lario and Italy officials during a mission to Rome on 7-8 July. The discussions focused on partnership development for promoting high-quality connectivity infrastructure investment.

In a bilateral meeting, President Alvaro expressed his strong desire to build on IFAD-MCDF collaboration. He said that MCDF’s activities to foster the application of International Financial Institution (IFI) standards and good practices in connectivity projects, a prerequisite for them to receive financing by IFAD and other IFIs, are critical to realizing more inclusive growth in rural areas.

CEO Wang, accompanied by MCDF’s Ms. Rui Mi and Mr. Erick Mariga, thanked President Alvaro for IFAD’s partnership and efforts to effectively use MCDF grants for connectivity project preparation and capacity enhancement in developing countries since becoming an MCDF Implementing Partner in 2024. They agreed that further opportunities to do so will be facilitated by efficiently aligning IFAD’s funding applications with the eligibility requirements of the MCDF Finance Facility. President Lario also discussed IFAD’s work to strengthen its pipeline of projects for potential MCDF support, noting that improved project preparation can help bring more rural connectivity infrastructure projects to financing readiness.

IFAD’s role as an IFI member of the MCDF Coordination Committee and in guiding MCDF Collaboration Platform knowledge-sharing events, including as a co-organizer of the recent MCDF Introductory Digital Infrastructure Workshop Series, was warmly recognized. President Alvaro highlighted IFAD’s increasing focus on leveraging digital infrastructure to connect farmers to international markets and welcomed the invitation for IFAD to showcase its projects combining digital and rural development during the MCDF Digital Infrastructure Conference in Africa, to take place in Nairobi, Kenya in December.

CEO Wang also thanked President Alvaro for IFAD’s participation in the first and second meetings of the first replenishment of the MCDF Finance Facility, in Beijing in March and Shanghai in June, and accepting his invitation for IFAD to join the third and final meeting, in September.

At Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, CEO Wang and his team held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Lawrence Bartolomucci and Ms. Francesca Lombardo of the Multilateral Development Banks and Funds Unit and Ms. Silvia Sopranzetti of the Africa Special Project of International Cooperation Office. CEO Wang said that the country has played an important strategic role in supporting MCDF’s mission by participating in the MCDF Coordination Committee since 2019, during the preparatory phase of MCDF’s establishment. The Italy officials discussed the scaling up of Italy’s Africa engagement through its Mattei Plan and opportunities to jointly accelerate the preparation of bankable infrastructure projects and facilitate knowledge exchange.

Mr. Bartolomucci affirmed the value of Italy’s partnership with MCDF for advancing bankable, high-quality connectivity infrastructure projects in developing countries that underpin trade growth and sustainable development. He described opportunities to draw upon Italy’s development finance experience, technical institutions, and professional networks in MCDF project preparation, capacity building, and information-sharing activities.

The MCDF delegation also visited Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), meeting with Mr. Giulio Dal Magro, Head of Sovereign Operations, Blending, and Operations Management and Ms. Alessandra Spinelli, Head of Blending and Technical Assistance on Development Cooperation 

The discussion explored how MCDF Finance Facility grants and CDP’s sovereign financing and technical assistance could jointly enhance pipelines of investment-ready connectivity infrastructure projects in regions such as Africa. The sharing of Italy’s expertise on procurement and infrastructure financing and opportunities to connect the country’s technical firms and advisory institutions with IFI-supported projects via MCDF knowledge-sharing activities were also discussed.

CEO Wang expressed his appreciation to the officials for Italy’s attendance at the first two meetings of the first replenishment of the MCDF Finance Facility and welcomed the country to join the third meeting in September.

Above news release photo collage caption (clockwise, from the upper left position and right to left in each photo): Mr. Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Mr. Zhongjing Wang, CEO, MCDF (Photo courtesy of ©IFAD/Flavio Ianniello); Ms. Francesca Lombardo and Mr. Lawrence Bartolomucci, Multilateral Development Banks and Funds Unit, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy, Mr. Zhongjing Wang, CEO, MCDF, Ms. Rui Mi, Head of Governance Team, MCDF;  Mr. Giulio Dal Magro, Head, Sovereign Operations, Blending, and Operations Management, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Ms. Alessandra Spinelli, Head, Blending and Technical Assistance on Development Cooperation, CDP, Mr. Zhongjing Wang, CEO, MCDF; Mr. Alvaro Lario, President, IFAD, Mr. Zhongjing Wang, CEO, MCDF, Ms. Rui Mi, Head of Governance Team, MCDF, Mr. Erick Mariga, Sustainable Development Specialist, MCDF (Photo courtesy of ©IFAD/Flavio Ianniello)