2024 Italy–Africa Summit
Group photo at the 2024 Italy–Africa Summit in Rome
Host country
Italy Date 28–29 January 2024 Venue(s)
Palazzo Madama Cities
Rome
The 2024 Italy–Africa Summit took place in
Rome on January 28–29. Hosted by the government of
Italy , the summit was attended by representatives of forty-five
African countries as well as the
African Union .
Background
The summit was held within the context of a rise
in immigration from North Africa to Italy, particularly by using
boats to cross the
Mediterranean Sea .
[1]
[2] Following the
2022 Italian general election ,
Giorgia Meloni of the
Brothers of Italy became Prime Minister, after running on a platform of curbing illegal immigration and soft
Euroscepticism .
[3] The announcement of the summit was seen as Meloni attempting to increase the status of Italy's foreign policy and curb immigration.
[4]
Summit
The summit was hosted in the
Palazzo Madama in
Rome .
[5] President
Sergio Matterella received the heads of the delegations in the
Quirinale Palace on 28 January.
[6]
A central focus of the summit was the unveiling of the Mattei Plan, a strategic initiative named after
Enrico Mattei , founder of the Italian energy giant
Eni . With an annual budget of 3 billion euros over four years, the plan seeks to address the root economic causes of
mass migration , emphasizing energy cooperation, investment in health and education, and critical infrastructure development. However, the Mattei Plan faces challenges, including
Italy's financial constraints and competition with global players in Africa. Critics question its feasibility and suggest a need for a clearer strategy.
[7]
[8]
[4]
[9]
[10]
Italy announced an initial 5.5 billion euro investment for the plan.
[11]
Participating countries
Representatives of forty-five countries from
Africa as well as the
African Union attended the meeting.
[5] This included more thaan 20 head of states as well as representatives from the
European Union .
[10]
The participants included:
[12]
Vice President of Benin,
Mariam Chabi Talata
Vice-President of Burundi,
Prosper Bazombanza
Prime Minister of Cabo Verde,
Ulisses Correia e Silva
President of the Central African Republic,
Faustin-Archange Touadéra
President of Comoros,
Azali Assoumani
President of the Republic of the Congo,
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Vice President of Ivory Coast,
Tiémoko Meyliet Koné
Prime Minister of Djibouti,
Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed
Vice President of Equatorial Guinea,
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue
President of Eritrea,
Isaias Afwerki
Prime Minister of Eswatini,
Russell Dlamini
Prime Minister of Ethiopia,
Abiy Ahmed
President of Ghana,
Nana Akufo-Addo
President of Guinea-Bissau,
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Prime Minister of Italy,
Giorgia Meloni
President of Kenya,
William Ruto
Prime Minister of Libya,
Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh
President of Mauritania,
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Prime Minister of Morocco,
Aziz Akhannouch
President of Mozambique,
Filipe Nyusi
Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe,
Patrice Trovoada
President of Senegal,
Macky Sall
President of Somalia,
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Vice President of The Gambia,
Muhammad B.S. Jallow
President of Tunisia,
Kais Saied
Prime Minister of Uganda,
Robinah Nabbanja
President of Zimbabwe,
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Non-head of state or head of government delegations were present from
Algeria ,
Angola ,
Botswana ,
Cameroon ,
Chad ,
Democratic Republic of the Congo ,
Egypt ,
Lesotho ,
Madagascar ,
Malawi ,
Mauritius ,
Namibia ,
Rwanda ,
Seychelles ,
Sierra Leone ,
South Africa ,
South Sudan ,
Tanzania ,
Togo , and
Zambia . Various international organizations including the
IMF ,
IEA ,
World Bank , and
United Nations were also represented.
[12]
Aftermath
Italy, coinciding with its
G7 presidency in 2024, emphasizes strategic partnerships with Africa, and is set to invite the leaders of four African countries and the African Union to
the G7 summit in Rome in June 2024.
[13]
[14]
References
^ Harlan, Chico (28 March 2023).
"Migration to Italy is soaring. And it's still the off-season" .
The Washington Post . Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
^
"What's behind the surge in migrants arriving to Italy?" . PBS NewsHour . 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2024-04-12 .
^ Harlan, Chico (26 September 2022).
"Right-wing victory in Italy expected to bring swift changes to migration" .
The Washington Post . Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
^
a
b
"Giorgia Meloni's African ambition" .
Le Monde . 2024-01-28. Archived from
the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28 .
^
a
b Giuffrida, Angela; Tondo, Lorenzo (2024-01-29).
"African Union Commission calls for 'paradigm shift' at Italy-Africa summit" . The Guardian .
ISSN
0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-04-12 .
^
"Italia-Africa. A bridge for common growth" . www.governo.it . 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-04-12 .
^
"Italian PM reveals "Mattei Plan" for African development ahead of Italy-Africa Summit | Africanews" . 2024-01-28. Archived from
the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28 .
^
"Waiting for the Italy-Africa summit: the government will present the Mattei Plan tomorrow" . 2024-01-28. Archived from
the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28 .
^ Amante, Angelo (29 January 2024).
"Italy's Meloni pledges new partnership with Africa, funds limited" .
Reuters . Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
^
a
b Torkington, Simon (8 February 2024).
"A $6 billion investment in Africa's future and other key outcomes from the Italy-Africa summit" .
World Economic Forum . Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
^
"What we know about the Italian development plan for Africa" .
Reuters . 29 January 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
^
a
b
"Italia–Africa. A Bridge For Common Growth" (PDF) .
^
"New G7 President Italy to Push Africa Partnerships, Not Aid, Meloni Says" . Voice of America . 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-28 .
^ Amante, Angelo (11 April 2024).
"Italy to invite African, South American leaders to G7 summit" .
Reuters . Retrieved 12 April 2024 .
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