Italy Pressing Harder For Independent Influence in Africa

Italy has a grand scheme for establishing it’s individual influence in Africa through the Mattei Plan initiative.

Giorgia Meloni the Prime Minister of Italy convened on Thursday the second Italy-Africa Summit in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the first time the gathering is hosted on African soil.

Under the Mattei Plan, Italy seeks to build partnerships with African nations. It represents Italy’s bid for a more independent international role.

The plan launched in January 2024, focuses on five key sectors: energy, infrastructure, water and agriculture, education, and healthcare.

“I think it is all in all the issue on which Italy is most distinguishable. There is a long-term strategic interest there,” said Raffaele Marchetti, director of the Study Centre for International and Strategic Affairs at Luiss University in Rome.

Africa’s population is expected to reach five billion by the end of the century, with a growing share of the global workforce.

For Italy the continent fits within its wider Mediterranean vision, according to Raffaele Marchetti.

“What Italy can offer in terms of quality is capacity building – training,” Marchetti said.

“If you train people, you create multipliers. Training isn’t excessively costly, so it’s an effective way to contribute to African development.”

Projects under way in 2025 reached a value of between €1.3 billion and €1.4 billion, according to Italian government sources.

Resources were mobilised through the Africa Fund, the Italian Climate Fund, and collaboration with multilateral institutions including the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the African Development Bank.

The initiative has expanded from nine countries initially involved to 14 focus countries, with Italy planning further expansion of cooperation.