It is a plan presented as a win-win, both for Africa but also for Italy and more broadly for Europe. This Monday, January 29, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who is hosting the first Italy-Africa summit in Rome, must present a “new deal”.
Representatives from more than 25 countries are expected, including the chairpersons of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, of Tunisia, Kaïs Saïed, of Senegal, Macky Sall, alongside representatives of United Nations agencies, as well as as international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the UN World Food Program (WFP). The presidents of the European institutions, Ursula von der Leyen (Commission), Charles Michel (European Council) and Roberta Metsola (Parliament) are also expected.
The “Mattei plan”
One of the challenges of this summit consists of unveiling the “Mattei plan”, designed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and already mentioned during her recent trips to the African continent, particularly in Ethiopia. This plan, called “Mattei”, is a tribute to Enrico Mattei, founder of Eni (the Italian public energy giant), who, in the 1950s, advocated a cooperative relationship with African countries, helping them develop their natural resources. “A certain paternalistic and predatory approach has not worked until now. What needs to be done in Africa is not charity, but strategic partnerships of equals,” argued Giorgia Meloni at beginning of January.
“Through the presentation of this plan, there is a desire to claim and assume that the development of African countries must take place in better conditions so that it can offer prospects to its populations and reduce migration towards the ‘Europe”, analyzes Jean-Marc Gravellini, researcher associated with Ferdi and IRIS. “There is nothing surprising that Giorgia Meloni displays such political will, it has been in her line from the start,” he adds.
Coming to power in 2022 on an anti-migrant program, the head of the Italian government hopes to make Italy a bridge between Europe and Africa, by providing the former with new supply routes for energy resources, which would go through Eni in particular, and then massive investments. An “equal to equal” approach is justified.
Perpetuating a Western presence in Africa
For the moment, the Italian government, which reduced its bilateral development aid last year (not counting Libya), has earmarked 2.8 million euros per year between 2024 and 2026 under the Mattei plan, of which we does not know the amount or the terms. According to the daily Corriere della Sera, Rome could allocate four billion euros to this plan over the next five to seven years, in agro-industry, transport and infrastructure – and especially energy. The Italian Prime Minister also intends to capitalize on demand from other European countries seeking to reduce their dependence on Russian gas following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“On the geostrategic level, part of Africa, and in particular Sahelian and West Africa, are areas of great instability, of multiple crises (political, military, social-ethnic, climatic) of which certain foreign powers have know how to take advantage”, recalls researcher Jean-Marc Gravellini. “With this plan, Giorgia Meloni is trying a new approach to counter what we are witnessing in the Sahel and to ensure that Africa remains a partner for Western Europe and does not completely fall into the fold of China, Russia or even Turkey. According to the daily Corriere della Serrathis involves, among other things, “taking seriously the leadership that giants like China and Russia have already acquired in certain corners of the continent, where the raw materials that make the difference today are present.”
But the approach struggles to convince certain players. Around forty African civil society organizations have expressed concern that the objective of this plan is simply “to increase Italy’s access to African fossil gas for the benefit of Europe and to strengthen the role of Italian companies in the exploitation of Africa’s natural and human resources.