President Meloni’s opening address at ‘The Mattei Plan for Africa and the Global Gateway: A common effort with the African Continent’ Summit‘

Good morning everyone.

Today’s summit is a crucial step in the internationalisation of the Mattei Plan. We knew when we first launched this strategy that, in order to reach the ambitious goals we had set ourselves, it was necessary to work in synergy with international partners, starting with the European Commission – and so I of course wish to thank President von der Leyen, who is co-chairing this Summit with me – with the European Union, which has allocated EUR 150 billion to Africa with the Global Gateway.

    

Our intention today is to offer concrete responses to the priorities expressed by African nations. I am thinking, for example, of the contribution to strategic infrastructure, as is the case with the Lobito Corridor, which will connect the East and West of Africa. I am also referring to secure and modern digital connections, with Sparkle’s Blue Raman cable which will be projected towards Africa, and to the ethical promotion of the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, with the centre for artificial intelligence for sustainable development that was officially opened in Rome this morning, as well as the relaunch of local agricultural supply chains, with investments in coffee processing and sustainable agriculture.

These are not top-down initiatives, but rather concrete projects resulting from dialogue and the desire to create lasting development together with our African partners. The approach Italy has implemented is clear: respect, responsibility, vision. It is a change of method in relations between Europe and Africa, and I am proud that Italy has contributed to shaping this vision. 

18 months on from the Italia-Africa Summit which we organised in Rome at the beginning of Italy’s G7 Presidency, we have built a path that has brought us to today’s concrete and significant results. Today, we are consolidating a model that began with listening and was then turned into operational tools, mobilised resources and new, concrete opportunities also for our companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, for we believe that the African continent is critical for our future and that strengthening Africa also means strengthening Europe, building together the conditions for shared stability.

I wish to thank the many, very distinguished participants in this morning’s working sessions: the representatives of nations and the representatives from financial institutions, without whom what we are building would not have been possible. 

I shall stop here and pass the floor also to President von der Leyen for a brief greeting.

[Courtesy translation]