Africa and the Italian government’s Mattei Plan

The Mattei Plan of the Italian Center-Right Government is taking shape. On Monday, January 29, the Italy-Africa Summit was held in Rome, with 25 heads of state and government in attendance, and 20 other countries represented by ministers. In addition to Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic, and Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister, the summit was also attended by the top representatives of the EU: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.

The contours and dimensions of Italy’s commitment to Africa were outlined at the summit: 5.5 billion euros in loans, grants, and guarantees.

Ursula von der Leyen explained how the Mattei Plan is integrated with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, both of which aim to create sustainable and reliable connections for people and the planet.

The pilot projects announced by the Italian government involve 9 African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique. Specifically, the pilot projects are:

• A center of excellence for vocational training in renewable energy in Morocco;
• Structural refurbishment of schools in Tunisia;
• A satellite monitoring project for agriculture in Algeria;
• A food and agriculture center in Mozambique;
• An area for the production of wheat, soybeans, corn, and sunflowers in Egypt;
• The improvement of primary maternal and child health services in Ivory Coast;
• The Elmed electrical interconnection between Italy and Tunisia;
• A new corridor for the transport of hydrogen from North Africa to Central Europe via Italy;
• The development of the biofuels value chain in Kenya;
• The construction of water distribution networks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The goal is to help Africa and its nations develop, in a relationship that is as cooperative as possible with Italy. From the Italian perspective, this creates economic opportunities for Italian businesses and slows down illegal migration flows to our country. Italy, as the current G7 president, has intended to kick off its action with the Mattei Plan, thus underlining the importance that the government attaches to Africa.