The Mattei Plan: why Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni is looking to Africa
Since coming to power, Giorgia Meloni’s government has been remarkably orthodox in its foreign policy. Unwavering support for Ukraine, loyalty to the Atlantic Alliance and full participation in the European Union - these are the cardinal points of a commitment that seems to be fully in line with the leading European countries. And
yet on Africa, the prime minister has broken with convention, (seeking new cooperation/ participation on the Continent under the policy of the '
Mattei Plan').
...What is Meloni exactly up to in Africa? How can we understand her pivot toward the continent, and how does it shed light on her own path to power through moderate transformation that today makes her the first woman to be head of government in Italy?
Over the recent years the Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has held very complimentary/ 'collaboratory' comments towards Africa.
Positioning herself as a champion of genuine concern for African affairs; while publicly slandering the approach other European States utilize on the continent. Meloni seeks new means of understanding and partnerships with the Sub-Sharan (including the shael region) countries on the African Continent; beyond the historical minimal cooperation of only African States that shared the Mediterranean sea with Italy.
The military bases that France still operated largely in its former colonies of West Africa (years after independence) have been in recent times (beginning 2022) closed down; on grounds of public demand and new governments sweeping these nations. Some of the African Countries discovered official documents that still placed/ positioned French Military commanders in-charge overall and able to act in a host African Country under certain conditions. Upon recent discovery of such documentation- the African Nations demanded that the
French Military operations be shutdown. Today
only Djibouti and Gabon maintain a French military presence in Africa.
A fair amount of West & Central African Nations’ still use ‘CFA Francs’ as legal tend. CFA (formerly
Colonies françaises d'Afrique) francs have a fixed exchange rate
(peg) to the euro guaranteed by France. To ensure the convertibility guarantee,
member countries were/are required to deposit half of their foreign exchange reserves with the French Treasury. The currency has been criticized for restricting the sovereignty of these African countries, effectively putting their monetary policy in the hands of the European Central Bank. Others argue that countries using CFA franc greatly facilitates the flow of exports and imports between France and the member-countries”.
France is rumored to harbour some of the largest reserves of Gold in the World; some of it/ if not most of it obtained from its former colonies. At 2,437.0 tonnes (as of 2025) making France the 4th largest holder of gold. Despite this,
France does not have any gold mines within its borders. In contrast, several African countries, such as Mali and Burkina Faso, have significant gold production but little in terms of official gold reserves. French ties/ relations to the Francophone community and former colonies perhaps offer clues as to how/ why many migrants are/were still able to (also) legally make it to France.
`(In 2022)...(At) the first iterations of the Mattei Plan for Africa...(the policy was framed) as a collaboration between the European Union and the African continent, with a view to containing Islamic radicalism in sub-Saharan Africa.
Though today,
the Italian Prime Minister champions assisting African countries to develop as way to curb illegal overflows of migrants to the shores of Italy and the rest of Europe. She maintains
if the living/ working conditions are good in the African countries then their people will not seek great pastures elsewhere; the perilous great trek through desert and sea will not seem so worthwhile.
The plan is simple enough- but how to concretely implement it? Incase of success the results are unlikely to be immediate. Unwanted illegal migrants are still going to be making journeys to Italy/ EU in the meantime. What other measures ought to be in place? Will Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d'Italia current strategy be enough? Will the public be understanding of the pace at which the ‘Matteo Plan’ is taking effect? Or, unsatisfied will the voters swing towards other right leaning candidates/ parties come next election- that promise more immediate tangible action.
Giorgia Meloni and Sergio Mattarella can claim concrete action in the fight against immigration from the southern shores by highlighting the “treatment at the source” of the problem, a subject that remains high on the Italian political agenda since the tragic landings of 2013. Italy’s African policy initiative 'the Mattei Plan' thus corresponds to a necessity for Meloni, who has to deal with attempts by Matteo Salvini’s Lega party to outflank her on the right.
In January 2024, the Italian PM Giorgia Meloni hosted a delegation of 26 African heads of state in the Italian Senate.
The presence of European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen further added a European dimension to the initiative. Perhaps the discussions extended beyond illegal immigration/ migration mitigating strategies. In considering the 5.5 Billion Euros funds allocated to the program
it would have been best to first target cooperation with Nations that have disproportionately large numbers of their citizens arriving Italian/ EU shores. How effective can the allocated amount be across 26 Countries? We also tend to not picture the true size of the African continent.
People from Central or Southern Africa are unlikely to undertake successful long dangerous treks all the way to Europe.
the concrete prospects may appear limited, with 5.5 billion euros of investment announced by Italy and pilot projects in nine countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Republic of Congo and Côte d'Ivoire)
Closely looking at Italys newly proposed relations with the Continent of Africa. Italy isn’t working alone.
The European Union/ United Nations/ and some major Italian companies are operating/ making these proposals through Italy. Italy is the Front Face. Unlike many other European Nations and former colonial powers; Italy has managed to maintain a far less tainted image (of suspicion) on the African Continent; owing to the early exit/ loss of African territories after the Second World War. The history books do not include imagery of native Africans fearlessly fighting for their countries' independence against Italians.
ENI, the Italian state-owned oil and gas company plays a pre-eminent role on the continent. Yet it’s not the only company interested in opportunities in Africa, with other major companies, such as water services management group ACEA, and other energy giant ENEL, appearing in the first pilot projects dealing with energy and environment. We should also recall the importance of Italian Catholic networks in Africa: from the Community of Sant'Egidio, which has acted as a mediator in conflicts such as Mozambique’s civil war.
(Also the Catholic presences on the African continent has managed to not be attached/ attributed to Italian involvement)
In-depth discourse of French exploits in Africa (possible solutions included)
France through its Francophone- African relations managed to secure access to natural resources only for itself. The European Union through Italy can hope to secure those resources for the entire Union. Italy by publicly admonishing France (hopes to) separates/ distinguishes itself from Frances’ approach on the continent.
The Meloni government’s Mattei plan may appear limited in scope due to its current vagueness, but it could potentially benefit from an amplifying effect if it opens up to international players, led by the European Union, and also succeeds in federating domestic players. Russia and China are advancing their pawns in Africa with policies that combine influence and the capture of resources, while the European presence is being called into question, all the more so after a series of putsches have led to a withdrawal of the often-ostracized French military presence.
The 2023 coup in Niger did not call into question the presence of the Italian military training mission, which is appreciated by the new authorities in Niamey. A greater role for Italy on the continent, in coordination with the EU, could help to renew Europe’s image.
The Italian Gas/ Oil companies would be surely looking for opportunities in their areas of expertise on the African Continent (-beyond simply tackling foreign illegal migration to Italy).
