The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) is committed to further reinforcing its partnership with Ethiopia in the coffee sector, the agency Director Michele Morana told ENA.

The coffee sector is mainly one of the sectors in which Italy is much more interested in Ethiopia and also in other countries in Africa, he added.

Therefore, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation has been working on coffee since 2006, mainly creating a value chain in the coffee sector in Ethiopia.

Morana also stressed the significance of strengthening partnership with the international organizations like UNIDO, a long-term partner in Ethiopia and worldwide in the coffee sector.

Regarding the partnership of the two countries, he said that Ethiopia has a lots of experience in different sectors. "What Italy wants is to just support in the way that we can do with our expertise, and with our private sector."

On future prospects in the coffee sector, the director pointed out that Italy is very interested in the coffee sector, which is important to develop the private sector as well.

"So, what we want to do is involve the Italian private sector in order to create partnership with the local ones and strengthen the Ethiopian coffee sector with our expertise."

Recall that a landmark project, which supports the Ethiopian coffee value chain by promoting innovative and impact driven investments with the support of the Italian government, was launched recently.

The project is a significant milestone in the coffee sector value-chain and shows the strong commitment of the government for the sector, Morana said.

Coffee is a cornerstone of Ethiopia's economy as more than 5 million households mainly depend on coffee as a source of livelihood, and accounts a major share of the total goods export earnings of the country.

Over the past five years, Ethiopia has seen tremendous growth in coffee exports; and the country targets to earn 2 billion USD in the current Ethiopian fiscal year.