Italy’s flawed plan to advance its interests in Africa
Italy held its first African Summit last week, during which Rome announced the Mattei Plan for development ideas and programs for the entire continent. Italy’s current leadership is seeking to extend its influence to major African countries as part of its first attempts to develop an investment program. However, there are many questions about its intentions and its competition and cooperation with other actors, particularly in the Horn of Africa.
The Italy-Africa Conference was the first major event under Italy’s G7 Presidency. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke in the Italian Senate with more than 20 African leaders and the EU’s High Representative. The Mattei project, named after Enrico Mattei, founder of Italian oil and gas company Eni, will deliver pilot renewable energy projects from Morocco to Ethiopia and Kenya. He added that these could be replicated in all African countries that are interested in this new form of investment. Initial funding for the Matei project totals 5.5 billion euros ($5.94 billion), including credits and cooperation funds. Although this amount is quite small, the intention is important.
Meloni’s language about the Matei plan (which he said is based on “a new approach that is neither predatory nor paternalistic nor benevolent”) is that “equals” Her goal is to build an economic and strategic partnership between the two countries. It’s not that he’s particularly friendly either.
Indeed, this African project is more for European political point-scoring on immigration policy than for anything else. Some argue that Rome’s move is tied to keeping Africa calm in order to reduce the flow of refugees north. And the Horn of Africa leaders and other major African leaders who visited Rome included a number of troubling figures well known to the West, most notably Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki.
In a meeting with the Italian Prime Minister and other government officials, Afwerki highlighted the wide range of investment opportunities available in Eritrea across a variety of sectors, including roads, railways, ports, cable transport, agriculture, innovation, fisheries resources, and energy. emphasized. Rome is likely to seek greater access to Eritrea’s untapped wealth, despite the country’s large-scale hunger and human rights problems.
Naturally, the theme of colonialism was raised directly by the Eritrean ruler to Meloni. Afwerki made sure to remind organizers that 150,000 Eritreans were forcibly conscripted into Italy. He wants to open an Italian archives to “build bridges” with Rome. Afwerki’s take on colonial themes raises questions about perception, especially regarding Italy’s history in Somalia.
Mr. Afwerki therefore used his visit to Rome to meet with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Kenyan President William Ruto. The leaders focused on developing bilateral relations to counter Ethiopia’s push to cooperate with Somaliland and build port access. Interest in Eritrea is growing because of its important strategic location on the Red Sea.
The Italian government has pursued its own interests on this front, trying to grab a piece of the pie.
Dr. Theodore Karasik
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also attended the Rome event and spoke with Meloni about potential investments. Interestingly, Ahmed had visited Geneva the day before receiving an award from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for his work on food security.
What about Italy’s energy interests in the Horn of Africa and East Africa? Meloni visited Addis Ababa in April last year. She became the first Western head of government to visit Ethiopia since the “end” of the Tigray war.
She was also joined by Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi, who held a tripartite meeting with Ahmed and Mohamud to discuss “stability, reconstruction, oil drilling and joint economic projects in Somalia”. Ta. Meloni’s latest visit builds on his previous talks with the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia in February 2023. So for more than a year, the Italian government has been pursuing its own interests on this front, trying to grab a slice of the pie. .
The Mattei plan is therefore aimed at preserving the interests of Italy’s energy giants. Regardless of market conditions, his Eni’s future profits up and down the east coast of Africa have always been part of the company’s calculations.
For example, Eni’s Mirima-1 deep-water well, located offshore in the Lamu Basin, was part of Rome’s interests in Kenya, even though it was part of the International Court of Justice’s ruling in favor of Somalia against Nairobi. be. This G7 Presidency event focused on Rome’s own interests across Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa in the short term.
Many parties are objecting to the implementation of the Matei plan, as it poses challenges to other interests. Britain is keen on the Ethiopia-Berbera road. The question arises as to how the individual actors in the G7 will compete or cooperate. As violence escalates across the continent, new and difficult challenges are rapidly emerging. These Italian efforts do not seem to align well with ongoing EU and other efforts. This Western factor gives other countries such as Russia and China an advantage in the African space.
- Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior advisor at Gulf States Analytics in Washington, DC. X: @KarasikTheodore
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