ADDIS ABABA, — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told dozens of African leaders that Italy has “no interest in exploiting migration to obtain cheap labour,” positioning Rome’s Africa strategy as investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid. She said the goal is to reduce the pressures driving young Africans to leave home by expanding jobs and long-term economic opportunity.
Meloni spoke at the second Italy–Africa summit, held in Addis Ababa alongside the African Union summit and billed as the first edition hosted on African soil. The forum reviewed implementation of Italy’s Mattei Plan, launched in 2024 as a flagship policy to combine migration management with development partnerships. According to summit reporting, the Mattei Plan now spans 14 African countries with roughly 100 projects launched or advanced across energy, agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, climate, and digital sectors. The strategy is framed by Rome as a shift from grant-heavy aid toward investment and co-financing models intended to generate measurable growth.
Meloni also announced a climate-linked debt-relief mechanism: African countries working with Italy could suspend some debt payments when hit by major climate shocks, as part of broader debt-conversion efforts tied to development projects. Details on eligibility and triggers are expected to be negotiated in follow-up talks. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, co-hosting discussions in Africa’s main diplomatic capital, said the summit format can deepen Africa–Europe collaboration and help convert political dialogue into infrastructure and trade outcomes. His remarks reinforced Ethiopia’s push to serve as a bridge for continental engagement with European partners.
Still, analysts caution that credibility will hinge on delivery. Previous criticism of European “partnership” initiatives has centered on slow disbursement, limited local consultation, and migration-control priorities overshadowing development outcomes. In that context, observers say the true test of the Mattei Plan is not announcements, but implementation speed, transparency, and whether projects create durable local employment.
For Italy, the stakes are strategic: reducing irregular migration pressure into Europe while securing energy, trade and political influence in a region where Gulf, Chinese, Turkish and Western actors are all expanding their footprint. For African governments, the opportunity is to convert geopolitical attention into financing that aligns with national priorities rather than donor optics
