Cooperation between Italy and African countries: three training courses completed in Senegal, the Republic of Congo, and Ivory Coast

The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), has organized three training courses for magistrates from Senegal (“Justice and New Technologies,” Dakar, April 8-10, 2025), Congo-Brazzaville (” International Judicial Cooperation and the Fight against Human Trafficking,“ in Brazzaville, April 14-17, 2025), and Côte d'Ivoire (”The Protection of Victims of Terrorism,” in Abidjan, April 14-18, 2025). The organization of these new advanced training courses for local judicial actors is part of the project “Rule of Law and Cooperation in Africa (2024-2025),” coordinated by Lorenzo Gasbarri, researcher in international law at the Dirpolis Institute, which has seen the Sant'Anna School engaged for several years in training and capacity-building activities in various African countries. The support provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian embassies in the countries concerned has always been crucial to the success of this activity.

The course in Dakar, held in partnership with the Centre de Formation Judiciaire (CFJ) and the Senegalese Ministry of Justice, aims to strengthen the skills of Senegalese magistrates and prosecutors in the integration of digital technologies in the field of administration of justice and how to address challenges such as data security, access to justice, and the efficiency of judicial procedures, while ensuring accessible, fair, and transparent justice. The course benefits from the participation of leading Italian and African experts, including Gaia Fiorinelli, a criminal law researcher at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.

The training activities in Brazzaville, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice of Congo, focused on the theme of international judicial cooperation, with the aim of strengthening the knowledge and skills of local magistrates regarding the national and international regulatory framework on international judicial cooperation, with particular reference to human trafficking, including through the analysis of case studies and the most recent judicial practices. 
 

The course was taught by Dr. Maria Giuliana Civinini, a judge with extensive international experience and former President of the Court of Pisa, and Dr. Sylvie Mankentsop, a Cameroonian magistrate.

The training activities in Abidjan were organized in collaboration with the Académie Internationale de Lutte Contre Le Terrorisme and were attended by magistrates and judicial police forces from Senegal, Benin, Madagascar, Djibouti, and Côte d'Ivoire. The topics covered emphasized the importance of protecting human rights in the fight against terrorism, with a focus on victim protection. Course participants benefited from the experience of Federico Belli, judge at the Court of Appeal of Turin and expert in judicial cooperation and the fight against cross-border organized crime.

The importance of these initiatives was highlighted by the Italian Ambassador to Brazzaville, Enrico Nunziata, who presided over the closing ceremony together with the Secretary General of the Congolese Ministry of Justice. Counselor Andrea Maria Palamidessi spoke at the opening of the course in Ivory Coast, which was closed by the Italian Ambassador to Abidjan, Arturo Luzzi.

“This course,” said the director of the Gasbarri project, ”marks the conclusion of the second edition of a project that aims to strengthen the knowledge of Congolese magistrates in the field of international judicial cooperation and the fight against human trafficking. Training in this context is not only a technical tool, but also a bridge for institutional dialogue and a tangible sign of the shared commitment between the Italian Republic and the Republic of Congo to promoting justice, human rights, and the rule of law at the international level.”