March 16, 2024 marked the beginning of an ambitious initiative that aims to position Italy as a European energy hub and to renew the collaboration model with Africa in six key sectors: education, health, water resources, agriculture, energy and infrastructure. The first organizational assembly took place under the leadership of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Palazzo Chigi, seeing the participation of a wide range of stakeholders, including ministers, large companies, third sector bodies and organisations. The declared objective is not to disappoint the expectations set in this project, defined by Meloni as a “large-scale strategic challenge”. This initiative draws inspiration from the Italy-Africa Summit in January, where Italy obtained significant support from various African leaders, laying the foundations for strengthened cooperation in areas where Italy has already demonstrated competence and capacity. Countries selected for the pilot projects include Algeria, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique and Tunisia. Preparatory missions have already been carried out in Brussels, Addis Ababa and Ivory Coast, and further visits are planned in Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia. The support of international financial institutions and European and international collaboration will also be important. In a next step, Meloni will participate in meetings in Egypt together with leading European figures to sign agreements that will include areas such as agriculture, training, health, SMEs and investments. Various players in the manufacturing world have already responded positively, bringing significant contributions to the table. For example, Coldiretti has introduced an initiative that involves the cultivation of 40,000 hectares in Africa, aiming at the creation of jobs and the development of renewable energy and local skills. ANCE highlighted investments of around 12 billion euros in infrastructure, while Confapi underlined the importance of professional training in Africa. Copagri and Cna have highlighted their desire to expand trade exchanges and promote development through cooperation. The next meeting scheduled for April aims to consolidate the action plan, outlining a detailed strategy to concretely launch projects in the field, underlining the urgency and importance of this initiative on the international scene.
