Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosts African Leaders Summit

Italy and the African Union collaboratively organize a summit titled ‘Italy – Africa: A Bridge for Shared Growth’

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a summit of African leaders with the participation of African heads of state, European Union and United Nations officials and representatives from international lending institutions Monday.

The summit aims to showcase Italy’s vision for African development, emphasizing a new, collaborative and non-exploitative approach.

Meloni, in an interview with Italian broadcaster Rai, said: “The objective is to present to African countries our vision of African development. This means a new, non-predatory, non-paternalistic approach… a peer-to-peer approach to grow together.”

The initiative, named the Mattei Plan after Enrico Mattei, the founder of state-controlled oil and gas giant Eni, focuses on various sectors, including education, health care, water, sanitation, agriculture and infrastructure.

Initial projects under the Mattei Plan are intended to address key areas such as education, healthcare, water, sanitation, agriculture and infrastructure.

Italy, being one of the primary destinations for African migrants seeking a better life, particularly through the Mediterranean Sea route, has designed the Mattei Plan to create job opportunities within Africa.

The plan aims to discourage Africans from undertaking the perilous journey across the sea in search of better prospects in Europe.

Source: Newsroom

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