Rome, the Italy-Africa Summit officially marks the start of the Italian leadership as president of the G7
The lights went out on Italy-Africa Summit, “a bridge for common growth”, which was staged in Rome last Sunday and Monday. Rather than being extinguished, however, we should say that they have decreased, because the work between African delegations and the Italian government is still ongoing. In fact, the Summit was only the beginning or, as has been said, the “framework” to give content to the “Mattei Plan for Africa”.
To recap, last week 13 heads of state, 9 heads of government, 5 vice presidents, with representatives of 25 international organizations arrived in Rome, welcomed on Sunday evening for dinner at the Quirinale, many based in the city. They must be added to them ministers and ambassadors of the 46 African countries that joined the Summit: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Djibouti, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Leshoto, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, CAR, DRC, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda , Zambia, Zimbabwe.
On the morning of Monday 29th Prime Minister Giorgia Meloniwelcomed heads of state and government, as well as representatives of the European Union, African Union, and United Nations organizations to the Senate. Why in the Senate and not at the Farnesina? “Because”, explains Prime Minister Meloni, this conference which “in the past has always been held at ministerial level” this year has been elevated to a Summit, with heads of State and Government. “This too is a choice that reaffirms the centrality and importance that Italy attributes to the relationship with African nations”. A Summit that actually starts the year of the Italian presidency of the G7during which “Africa will have a place of honour”.
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A choice ofItaly that believes in its role as a “bridge” between Europe and Africa. In the presentation of Mattei Plan Words such as peer-to-peer cooperation, sharing, partnership come back very often. An effort and a search for words to chase away the predatory colonialist and post-colonialist shadow, which Africa has certainly not forgotten. After all, in his greeting to the guests, President Sergio Mattarella quoted the African proverb that says, “if you want to go fast, run alone, if you want to go far, run in a group”.
A group, Africa and Europe, that wants to make shared choices, without charity which, as is now known, does more good to those who give than to those who receive. Returning to the Plan at the center of the Italian strategy for Africa, why the reference to Mattei, founder of ENI? Why Enrico Mattei “saw opportunities where others saw difficulties.” And in the current case there is certainly no shortage of difficulties, or rather, challenges.
However, the “Plan” has not lacked criticism, even in recent days. One wonders what this foresees, if it is not an empty box and smoke and mirrors. One point on which the Summit has given an answer, although certainly not conclusive.
Addressing the representatives of the African countries, after the greeting of the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, Giorgia Meloni said that the Mattei Plan for Africa begins with five crucial points: education and training, health, agriculture, water and energy, which will be accompanied by investments in the necessary infrastructure. To start the Plan are foreseen 5.5 billion euros “between credits, gift operations and guarantees, of these, approximately 3 billion will be allocated by the Italian Climate Fund, while the other 2 and a half billion will come from development cooperation. Furthermore, there will be support provided by financial institutions, banks and, for Italy, Cassa Deposito e Prestiti which will help private investments.
The central point of the Plan are the concrete objectives established with individual countries. It is not “lowered from above”, as well as the working method that accompanies it which involves close collaboration with the African nations involved in the various projects. The cornerstone of the Mattei Plan is sharing.
That's why to give it shape and fill the void of the box are necessary working tables set up after the arrival of the delegations. Side talks at the Summit. A first group of bilateral meetings took place yesterday, others are still underway. The Italian promise is that words will be followed by facts on what we decided together. For the moment there is little news on these meetings from Palazzo Chigi. It should also be said that the entire Summit was surrounded by an aura of “confidentiality” which did not make it easy to interpret the events.
In some cases the The summit was also an opportunity for meetings between countries. For example, the president of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, held talks with the president of Kenya, William Ruto and of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The latter by the way is one of the few African presidents to have given several interviews especially on the thorny issue of the Red Sea, for the recent agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland (self-proclaimed independent in 1991). “I can't explain what happened,” the Somali president said to Republic. “Ethiopia does not have the capacity on its own to build a port” to gain the coveted access to the sea, thus stirring the waters of a sea in a region which is already in turmoil, he added, referring to the war in Yemen, the actions of the Houthis, and the Sudan crisis.
As for the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, also present at the Rome Summit, was surprised that he received from the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Agricultural Medal, “for his government's vision, leadership and commitment to food security and nutrition, as well as pursuing innovative solutions in grain self-sufficiency.” A random self-sufficiency however, both due to the two years of war in the Tigray region and the subsequent crisis in the Amhara region, where fighting is still ongoing. For this reason, it is estimated that around 20 million people need food aid. The World Food Program fears “a long march towards hunger” for the country. In recent years in the northern regions, many people have died from hunger, from the lack of fertilizers which has decimated crops, from war and clashes which have made the passage and movement of goods impossible. In the last six months alone, famine has killed 400 people in these areas.
Anyway for Abiy the FAO medal is not the only “prize”. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto returned to Ethiopia an imperial fleet aircraft built in 1935, requisitioned by the fascists in 1936. Exhibited until 1941 in the rooms of the Aeronautics Museum, the plane was subsequently transferred to the Historical Museum of the Air Force. Now, restored, he returns home. “It is a day of great pride for Ethiopians celebrating the official return of 'Tsehay' by the Italian government”, wrote Prime Minister Abiy on X.
During the meeting at Palazzo Madama, after the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, spoke. In his speech, he said, “we would have liked to be consulted” on how to implement the Plan. Furthermore, the hope, he added, is that the Plan does not remain a dead letter, that it moves from words to deeds. In closing you reiterated that to eliminate poverty it is necessary to work for prosperity. What Africa does not need, however, is charity, “because we are not beggars”, he concluded.
The response to his words was twofold. The first media. Some Italian newspapers spoke of a “flop” and a “disappointing budget”, if not a failure of the Summit, attributing the merit of having buried the Plan before its start to the President of the African Union Commission.
Actually one reply to Moussa Faki's words came from Giorgia Meloni and Azali Assoumani president of the Comoros and pro tempore President of the African Union, during the press conference to close the proceedings.
The prime minister repeats that Mattei's plan is not a closed plan. The talks underway in recent days will give it shape and substance, “after the exchange and sharing work” with individual countries. Only then will a “control room” be convened both for the drafting of the Plan itself and for making it operational. The need for concreteness, requested by all participants, is considered a priority. Responding to a question about the lack of involvement of African countries, as said in the morning by Moussa Faki, Azali Assoumani said that, as far as he was concerned, he considered the “Plan very good”, adding that it should be implemented, not contested.
We will see in a few months if the talks and promises of these days will have a follow-up, especially with countries that have a strong historical connection with Italy.
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