Generali and UNIDO partner to promote the sustainable development of coffee production in Africa

• Generali and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have announced a partnership to support the Italy-funded EU Global Gateway flagship initiative to boost climate resilience, local value addition, and regulatory readiness across East African coffee value chains, leveraging public and private solutions such as parametric insurance.

Milan, 12 January 2026 – Generali and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have today signed a joint declaration under the ACT Programme (Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee) to promote sustainable coffee production in Africa. The collaboration aims to strengthen international partnerships and technical cooperation to improve socio-economic conditions, enhance climate resilience, and support local value addition in key coffee-producing communities.

Funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) within the framework of the EU Global Gateway and Italian Mattei Plan priorities, the ACT Programme is led by UNIDO in partnership with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO) and private sector partners.

The initiative focuses initially on Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi, applying a five-pillar approach: value addition, climate, compliance, research, and social inclusion, with finance as a cross-cutting enabler.

Andrea De Marco, Programme Manager and Partnership Advisor at UNIDO, said: “Through UNIDO’s ACT Programme, we are building resilient and sustainable agricultural value chains that create inclusive employment opportunities, add value locally, and protect our planet. The partnership with Generali is a strong example of how public and private actors can join forces to make this transformation a reality. Together, we aim to strengthen the livelihoods of coffee producers in Africa, enhance climate resilience, and promote fair and sustainable global trade in agricultural commodities.”

Lucia Silva, Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Generali, said: “The growing impact of climate change on agricultural production worldwide, including coffee production, is undeniable. In this context, insurance plays a critical role in strengthening climate resilience – particularly in developing economies that are more vulnerable to climate impacts. Addressing this global challenge requires a joint effort. Generali is proud to partner with UNIDO to promote solutions such as parametric insurance, supported by the expertise of Generali Global Corporate & Commercial. These solutions enhance the resilience and sustainable development of coffee production in Africa and help bridge the protection gap amid ever-increasing climate risks.”

The partners will focus their collaboration on three key areas:

• Promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships and public-private cooperation to mobilize resources and share knowledge for inclusive growth;
• Conducting joint studies with emphasis on parametric insurance for the coffee value chain in the African context;
• Fostering dialogue and impact measurement among public and private stakeholders, including practical tools for assessing social and environmental outcomes.

Within this initiative, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) under the EU Global Gateway and Italian Mattei Plan priorities, UNIDO acts as programme lead in partnership with the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO) and private sector partners. Generali, leveraging the expertise and capabilities of Generali Global Corporate and Commercial (GC&C), the Group’s centre of excellence for parametric insurance, supports the project as technical advisor.

In the Group’s “Lifetime Partner 27: Driving Excellence” strategy, sustainability is even more embedded into Generali’s core business and operations, aligning with the commitment to be a responsible insurer, investor, employer and corporate citizen. As part of this commitment, the Group has a strong focus on public-private partnerships and on using its expertise to support public bodies in fostering sustainability and resilience. This includes the multi-year partnership between Generali and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enhance the financial resilience of vulnerable communities, MSMEs, and global value chains to climate and other risks. Furthermore, Generali is also part of the Insurance Development Forum’s (IDF) Blueprint for Infrastructure Resilience Development with the aim to facilitate insurance sector investments in infrastructure that strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities in emerging countries against climate change-related risks and other natural disasters.