Africa’s socio-economic take-off has been predicted for many decades. Still, it remains a mirage as millions of people in North Africa and the Sahel dream and often attempt to flee the miserable living conditions in their countries and migrate illegally to Europe.
Italy is one of the most affected EU countries by illegal migration. Its right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni, who came to power in 2022 on an anti-migrant ticket, has vowed to reshape relations with African countries by avoiding the “predatory” approaches of the past in favour of one inspired by Enrico Mattei, founder of Italy’s State-owned energy giant Eni.
Mattei led Italy’s quest in the mid-20th century to capture a significant share of the fast-expanding market. The neo-colonisation of Africa is still a reality. Russia has stepped up its African involvement from Sudan to Mali, while China’s Belt and Road Initiative has boosted its influence. Mattei never achieved his dream. He died in 1961 in a plane crash caused by a suspected sabotage.
Meloni wants to revive the Mattei plan. In a conference dubbed “A bridge for common growth” held in Rome in January and attended by representatives from more than 25 countries, she said that the Italian plan would start with a series of pilot schemes – from modernising grain production in Egypt to purifying water in Ethiopia and providing training in renewable energies in Morocco – with the aim of extending them across the continent.
EU president Ursula von der Leyen described Meloni’s plan as “complementary” to the European Union’s own Africa package, unveiled in 2022. Still, despite the glitzy public relations rhetoric characterising such political initiatives, many critics were not impressed with the Meloni plan. Some described it as ‘ambiguous’ and not addressing the real priorities for improving EU-Africa relations.
Meloni’s priorities are clear. She wants to transform Italy into an energy gateway and capitalise on demand from European countries seeking to slash their dependence on Russian gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An equally important objective of Meloni and her coalition partner Matteo Salvini is to stop migrant boats arriving in Europe from North Africa. Landings in Italy have risen since Meloni was elected prime minister.
Mousa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, said he wished Africa had been consulted first on priorities and emphasising the need to honour commitments. Standing alongside Meloni during the conference press briefing, he said: “I want to insist here on the need to move from words to actions.”
One can only hope that the Meloni plan will be much more than a grand political public relations exercise
Concerns were also raised over the lack of engagement with civil society representatives not invited to the summit. Ahead of the Rome event, over 50 African groups wrote a letter to the Italian government asking for an “end to neo-colonial approaches” and a “more consultative approach”.
Meloni told the conference that Europe’s and Africa’s “destinies” were interconnected and that she was determined to pursue cooperation “as equals- far from any predatory temptations, but also from that charitable approach to Africa that is ill-suited to its extraordinary potential for development”.
Lia Quartapelle is an Italian politician of the Partito Democratico. She argues that Meloni’s new plan lacks credibility because Italy “has never properly addressed its colonial past and largely ignored its moral responsibility to right wrongs in former colonies. The contents of the Meloni strategy and policy instruments remain an enigma.”
Other critics argue that the plan should focus more on developing a more future-proof energy supply that benefits Italy and its partner countries in the EU in line with the EU’s green energy objective. Beginning a policy of investing in African fossil energy while stressing the Italian economy to wean itself off fossil fuels seems inconsistent at best and requires more foresight.
Meloni is not the first Italian prime minister to focus on strengthening relations with Africa. In 2007, Romano Prodi was the first Italian premier to visit the African Union. Matteo Renzi followed between 2014 and 2016.
A problem rarely discussed in EU-Africa relations conferences is the endemic internal conflict in some African countries, especially those in the Sahelian strip, which discourages investment by Western companies.
Italy and other EU countries must first prioritise the role as mediators between rival political factions in Africa and not just concentrate on paying North African leaders to encourage them to stop illegal migrants from crossing to Europe.
One can only hope that the Meloni plan will be much more than a grand political public relations exercise before the European Parliament election in June.