Decoding the news. The Mattei Plan, the Italian government’s initiative to build equitable cooperation with African partners, is moving beyond the Euro-African sphere and beginning to capture the attention of global actors.
- At a recent event in Japan, Italy played a prominent role, drawing significant attention and laying the groundwork for potential joint projects.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking Wednesday at the Rimini Meeting, underscored that the Mattei Plan is not simply “a package of projects but a new pact among free nations that choose to cooperate.”
- The spirit: Its concrete expression, she said, lies in “quality investments, major initiatives in infrastructure, energy, and production, and above all in the enhancement of human capital.”
- Rome is consolidating its presence on the continent, giving greater substance to its strategic initiative in Africa.
Details:
- CDP, Italy’s state-owned development bank and financial institution, has already mobilised approximately €930 million to support the Mattei Plan.
- Investments are focused on infrastructure, energy, climate transition, and human capital development.
- CDP is adding new hubs covering East and West Africa to the two offices already operating in Egypt and Morocco, from Kenya to Côte d’Ivoire.
Zoom in — Tokyo. Italy was invited for the first time to TICAD 9 (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), a summit traditionally reserved for Japan and African nations.
- The panel featured Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti, the Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for the Mattei Plan Massimo Riccardo, and representatives from CDP and UNDP.
- Objective: to present the Mattei Plan and initiate dialogue on potential Italy–Japan joint projects in Africa.
What emerges. The Japanese invitation reflects growing international interest in the Italian approach, regarded as a complement to existing African strategies.
- It is framed within the Italy–Japan Strategic Partnership launched in 2023.
What we’re watching. Rome’s next steps in transforming the Mattei Plan into an international platform for multilateral cooperation, capable of drawing in partners such as Japan, the EU, and African stakeholders.
- The challenge: In a continent where competition involves China, the US, Russia, and Turkey, Italy must balance geopolitical ambition with execution capacity.
