The university is opening up to the world, inspiring an Italy with a global outlook that values talent and focuses on communities with foreign origins to support internationalization and knowledge sharing. This is the essence of the Diaspore Program, a series of events and debates sponsored by Luiss Guido Carli that kicked off on Tuesday, January 26, with the first webinar at 1:00 p.m. Italian time.

The online meetings, held in Italian, English, and French, were organized under a new agreement signed by the university with Le Réseau, an association representing the African diaspora in Italy and a member of the National Council of Diasporas.

“Our commitment is to support the university’s internationalization. While it has been launching significant initiatives for some time, it is now decisively focusing on attracting students who see Italy as a leading educational hub in Europe, even if they come from diverse backgrounds—from Africa, Latin America, or Asia,” emphasized Cleophas Adrien Dioma, coordinator of the Migration and Development working group within the National Council for Development Cooperation and president of Le Réseau, in an interview with the Dire news agency.
According to Raffaele Marchetti, Luiss’s Vice-Rector for Internationalization, “cosmopolitan education is a mission for our university, which has made a strategic choice to focus on the Mediterranean basin and the sub-Saharan region.” This choice is “confirmed by the recent increase in the number of university students from these regions.” “Alongside traditional recruitment from Ghana to Kenya,” added Professor Marchetti, “there are scholarships guaranteed by Italian companies operating in Africa, such as Eni, and humanitarian projects like the Mediterranean Project in collaboration with Emmanuele Emanuele’s Terzo Pilastro Internazionale Foundation, or the University Corridors initiative developed together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and funded by the university’s alumni community.”

Some of the initial events were dedicated to fostering dialogue with Africa, a kaleidoscope of 54 countries with a myriad of languages and cultures, and a population whose average age is under 20. The opening took place on January 26 with a webinar titled 'Diaspora, Knowledge and Community.' Speakers confirmed include Emanuela Claudia Del Re, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Leonardo Carmenati, Deputy Technical Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Following a greeting from Professor Paola Severino, Vice President of Luiss with responsibility for promoting International Relations, and an introduction by Professor Marco Francesco Mazzù, Recruiting Leader and Professor of Marketing and Digital at the University, the event was opened by the Vice Rector of the Free International University of Social Studies, Raffaele Marchetti, and Cleophas Adrien Dioma. They were joined by Jean Leonard Touadi, President of the Center for Relations with Africa at the Italian Geographical Society, and Alioune Benga, Director General of the Burkinabe university Iam Ouaga. There was also a contribution from Giorgio Marrapodi, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Development Cooperation, along with a diverse panel of representatives from the African diaspora communities and the “new generations.” The series continued with monthly events, offering opportunities for meetings with companies and sessions open to student interaction, questions, and ideas. The focus was on key issues for 2021 and the post-pandemic world, with a special emphasis on emerging realities. Topics included: 'Innovation, Digitalization and Sustainability as a way to social and ecological transition,' 'Italian and African Geopolitical Perspectives,' 'Data Science to Support a Changing World,' and 'Italian and African business perspectives.' According to Professor Mazzù, the project went beyond traditional recruiting goals to address the issue of circular migration by focusing on economic and social development. “We must ensure,” he says, looking ahead, “that the skills acquired in Luiss’s multicultural environment turn students into global players, capable of acting ethically and rigorously and applying their knowledge in leading companies and institutions operating both globally and in their home countries, becoming decision makers and promoters of growth and development.”