Italy and Africa are seeking to turn the Mattei Plan into concrete projects, with renewable energy, infrastructure, health and local skills at the centre.
The Africa & Mediterraneo conference focuses on a new partnership model
Italy and Africa together for sustainable development. “The Mattei Plan for Africa is an initiative of national importance promoted by the Italian Government, aimed at bringing about a paradigm shift in relations with the African continent and building partnerships based on equality, moving beyond the traditional donor-beneficiary logic.” This was the message delivered by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who opened the conference Africa & Mediterraneo, Between Cooperation and Development: The Italian System That Builds.
Promoted by Senator Marco Scurria, the event provided an opportunity to discuss the Mattei Plan as a systemic set of projects designed to deliver mutual benefits for Europe and Africa.
The Mattei Plan now includes 18 African countries
The Mattei Plan now covers 18 countries, no longer only those bordering the Mediterranean. Its initial allocation amounted to €5.5 billion, including €2.5 billion from development cooperation and €3 billion from the Climate Fund.
The objective, however, is to mobilise further public and private resources in energy, water, food security, infrastructure and health. The Plan is involving a growing number of African countries and is integrated with the European Global Gateway programme, which is expected to reach €150 billion in financing.
Renewable energy among the Italian Government’s priorities
Among the Italian Government’s priorities are the development of renewable energy, education and innovative measures such as debt suspension clauses in the event of extreme climate events. The strategy aims to support local employment, strengthen industrial supply chains and address the root causes of migration.
Africa accounts for less than 4% of global CO2 emissions, yet the continent faces some of the most severe impacts of the climate crisis, including drought, desertification, food crises, climate migration and extreme weather events. For this reason, international agencies are proposing debt suspension clauses, dedicated funds to address the consequences of climate change and investments to strengthen environmental resilience.
The Italian Government’s strategy does not aim to turn the continent into a place where new forms of energy exploitation are transferred. On the contrary, the sustainable transition must be fair, shared, sustainable and able to create concrete job opportunities at local level.
Turning Mattei Plan projects into concrete results
“2024 and 2025 were very important years for building the financial instruments needed for interventions. Now is the time to accelerate implementation and turn projects into concrete results,” said Antonio Gozzi, Confindustria delegate for European strategic autonomy, the Mattei Plan and competitiveness.
“As Confindustria,” Gozzi added, “we are working to map and coordinate the many initiatives launched over the past two years by companies on training and human capital development. The goal is to close 2026 with 3,000 people trained and ready to join Italian companies, responding to skills needs and supporting the growth of the Mattei Plan’s partner countries.”
“We cannot talk about the Plan as a series of intangible initiatives. To consolidate our country’s credibility, it is essential to reduce delivery times for strategic works and overcome the administrative bottlenecks that hinder investment and the movement of people to Italy. The challenge now is to ensure rapid execution of projects, starting with major energy and connection infrastructure between Europe and Africa.”
“One of the largest operations included in the Plan, and one we need to push forward, is the construction of the Elmed power interconnector between Tunisia and Sicily. We need to move faster because Italian companies are already investing in renewables and can bring back to Italy part of the locally produced clean energy,” Gozzi concluded.
Elmed and SoutH2 Corridor at the centre of energy cooperation
The other major project Italy wants to advance is the SoutH2 Corridor initiative, designed to transport hydrogen from North Africa to Europe’s main demand hubs. The SoutH2 Corridor benefits from the political support of five countries, as well as strong backing from industry along the entire hydrogen value chain.
Global health and a new Mediterranean cooperation model
However, sustainable transition and sustainable development cannot exist without public health. This is why investment is needed in public health systems, local healthcare, maternal and child health, prevention, shared scientific research and training.
One area worth close attention is telemedicine, a useful resource for overcoming geographical barriers and the shortage of specialised medical staff.
