- The plan aims to transform Italy into an energy hub and stop migration.
- Meloni’s Mattei Plan hopes to set Italy as a key bridge between Africa and Europe, funnelling energy north.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, unveiled her plan for the continent during a summit in Rome that hosted African leaders, titled “A bridge for common growth”. This aims to transform Italy into an energy hub and stop migration. Meloni, who assumed her position in 2022 on an anti-migrant ticket, has vowed to reshape relations with African countries by taking a “non-predatory” approach inspired by the founder of Italy’s energy giant Eni, Enrico Mattei.
Meloni’s Mattei Plan hopes to set Italy as a key bridge between Africa and Europe, funnelling energy north while exchanging investment in the south for deals aimed at preventing migration. In an interview with national broadcaster Rai, Meloni said the objective is to present Italy’s vision of African development to African countries. This means a new, non-predatory, non-paternalistic approach, a peer-to-peer approach to growing together.
Representatives of over 25 countries began arriving Monday at the summit held at the Italian senate, dubbed along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and representatives of United Nations agencies and the World Bank. Those due to attend included African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Senegal President Macky Sall, as well as the presidents of the Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Other countries, like Algeria, Chad, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were due to be represented by ministers. Rome holds the presidency of the G7 group of nations this year and has vowed to make African development a central theme, in part to increase influence in a continent where powers such as China, Russia, India, Japan and Turkey have been expanding their political clout. The plan is to start with a series of pilot schemes with the aim of then extending them across the continent. The prime minister’s office disclosed that investments will be made mainly in the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, water, health, and education sectors.