Italian
A turning point for Africa and Europe
ROME. The summit held yesterday at Villa Doria Pamphilj, entitled “The Mattei Plan for Africa and the Global Gateway: A common effort with the African Continent”, undoubtedly represents a turning point in the Italian and European vision of relations with Africa. Not only because of the high-level participation – with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosting the event – but above all for the political and strategic spirit that the event aimed to instill in this cooperation: a partnership among equals, based on mutual respect, sharing of priorities, and a concrete willingness to build long-term development.
The Mattei Plan for Africa, at the center of the discussions, has found its natural extension in the European strategy of Global Gateway, creating a synergy that can truly change the face of the African continent and, with it, the future of Europe itself. A Europe that – as Premier Meloni emphasized – can no longer view Africa only as a source of problems to manage or flows to contain, but as a great opportunity for growth, innovation, and geopolitical stability.
There are three pillars on which this vision has concretely been founded at the summit: infrastructure, agriculture, and digital. Three crucial areas, carefully chosen to make an impact where the need is greatest and the development potential is huge.
The “Lobito Corridor,” an infrastructure project that will connect Angola to Zambia, passing through the Democratic Republic of Congo and – hopefully – all the way to Tanzania, promises to change the economic geography of central-southern Africa. It is not just about roads and railways, but a true artery of trade, industry, and employment, which can reduce the isolation of entire areas and integrate them into the global market.
The second front, the agricultural one, with a focus on the coffee supply chain, aims to develop local chains capable of generating added value, emancipating African producers from dependence on external markets. Not assistance, but productive investments aimed at the economic self-sufficiency of partner countries.
Finally the digital: from the strengthening of the Blue Raman Cable to the initiative of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Italy – together with Europe – aims to give a leading role to Africa in the data and artificial intelligence economy, areas that have been almost foreign to the continent’s development agendas. A qualitative leap that could prove decisive in shaping the new African managerial and entrepreneurial classes.
The Summit also marked a cultural and political milestone of great importance: the announcement of a concrete program for the restructuring of African debt – with the conversion into development projects of about 235 million euros – revives a historic proposal of the Catholic social doctrine and of Pope Francis, restoring dignity and perspective to the most fragile countries. A gesture that is not only financial, but also ethical and political in nature.
It is not a plan dropped from above, nor a short-term policy, as the Prime Minister specified: it is the beginning of a structural process that already includes new meetings – in July in Ethiopia and in 2026 with the second edition of the Italy-Africa Summit.
The overall value of the signed agreements, 1.2 billion euros, attests to the seriousness of this commitment. But what matters most is the message: the future of Europe is also – and perhaps above all – at stake in its ability to build with Africa an adult, loyal, mutually beneficial relationship. Where investing in local growth means ensuring security, prosperity, and a future for our societies as well.
With the Mattei Plan and the Global Gateway, Italy and Europe are choosing the most difficult path, but also the only sustainable one: that of true cooperation, shared responsibility, and trust.
A paradigm shift that could finally mark the end of the season of unkept promises.
