Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, was on Friday the center of Euro-African diplomacy hosting the second Italy-Africa Summit, the first organized on the continent, as well as the African Union Summit, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as guest of honor.
Written by: Valbona Zeneli
A double meeting that confirms a strategic priority: for Italy, Europe's Mediterranean border, Africa is an essential partner in matters of security, energy and migration. The Mattei Plan is the main instrument to recalibrate this partnership. As Meloni stressed in her speech, it is not a symbolic celebration, but a concrete opportunity "to dialogue with Africa, in Africa" and to revolutionize the way Italy sees and acts on this continent.
Why is Africa important? Because it is at the crossroads of major global transformations: energy routes, critical minerals, demographic growth and competition between great powers. With 65% of the world's arable agricultural land and the youngest population in the world, with over 60% of the population under the age of 25, and expected to reach 2,5 billion by 2050, the continent is central to food security, the energy transition and global growth. However, the gap remains significant: despite representing 19% of the world's population, Africa generates only 3% of global Gross Domestic Product. It is precisely in this gap between potential and reality that the challenge of the coming years lies.
STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
Under the 'Meloni' government, Africa has become a strategic priority thanks to the 5,5 billion euro Mattei Plan, launched in 2024. More than a simple political announcement, the plan represents an organic framework, what Decode39 defines as a coherent strategic architecture, which anchors Italian foreign policy, economic security and the country's global positioning. During the Italian presidency of the G7, Rome returned the "southern flank" to the center of the European agenda, at a time when most of Europe was focused on Russia's war in Ukraine, linking the African file to competition with China and Russia, as well as contributing to the adoption of NATO's first Southern Flank Strategy.
Italy's security instruments in Africa combine training missions, naval deployments and capacity-building initiatives in the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa. The plan is articulated around several pillars to strengthen stability and economic growth. The figures clearly explain the scale of the challenge: the European Union exchanges around 400 billion euros with Africa per year, while China is today the continent's first trading partner with around 300 billion dollars. For Italy, Africa represents 12% of imports and 6% of exports. But the decisive game is linked to critical minerals and the energy transition. If Europe really wants to implement the decarbonization process, it must invest in industrial partnerships that enable African countries to move up the value chain, from extraction to production, supported by private capital and infrastructure. It is precisely on this terrain that European strategic credibility will be measured in the coming years. Critical minerals are a central node of the Mattei Plan.
At the Critical Minerals Summit in Washington, held a few days ago, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated that responsible, infrastructure-based partnerships with African producers are not an optional choice, but an essential condition for the economic security and strategic autonomy of the West. However, the bottleneck remains infrastructure. According to the African Development Bank, the continent needs around 150 billion euros a year to cover its infrastructure deficit. Infrastructure must form the backbone of Western engagement with the Global South, boosting economic growth and offering an alternative to the state model promoted by China. The $5 billion Lobito Corridor, agreed in June 2025, will modernize 1.300 km of railway between Zambia, DR Congo and the Angolan port, going in precisely this direction. With the support of Italy (320 million euros), the European Union (2 billion euros) and the United States (2 billion dollars), the project translates into practice the integrated approach of the Mattei Plan, linking infrastructure, critical minerals and economic security. In parallel, Rome has worked to embed this vision in a broader European framework, harmonizing the Mattei Plan with the 300 billion euros Global Gateway, of which 150 billion are earmarked for Africa, and drawing on its regional competence to define the EU's strategic approach to Africa. Giorgia Meloni's trip to Addis Ababa, immediately after the EU's informal withdrawal, confirms Italy's will to make Africa a structural priority on the European agenda.
It is no coincidence that Giorgia Meloni appeared in Africa accompanied by the leaders of major Italian companies, demonstrating that the government's strategy is based on public-private partnerships and the operational presence of groups such as 'Eni', 'Enel', 'Leonardo', 'Fincantieri' and 'Fondazione Med-Or'. A common line with Germany: Friedrich Merz has also stressed that policy towards Africa must be based on the direct involvement of private businesses, combining traditional diplomacy with structured economic missions. Greater coordination between Rome and Berlin could transform this shared vision into a more concrete and effective European strategy. African policy, security and economic interests must converge in a single strategic vision. If truly supported by credible and coordinated projects, the Mattei Plan could strengthen Italy's role as a leading Western actor in Africa and transform cooperation and infrastructure into levers of long-term influence, in an era marked by competition between great powers./Taken from "Il Messaggero"
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