What is Africa getting out of the Mattei Plan?
Italy is expected to unveil the Mattei Plan on the sidelines of the Italy-Africa Summit on January 28- 29, 2024. The summit coincides with Italy’s G-7 Presidency, emphasising Italy's role in the global arena at a time of complex global security threats and continued tension at the global cooperation platforms. For Italy, the G-7 presidency also offers an opportunity to focus on its partnership with Africa.
Against this backdrop, the Mattei Plan is described as an “opportunity to propose a paradigm shift with African partners”. Further, the plan is expected to inform the Europe Marshall Plan for Africa, making it a defining point for Italy-Africa and Europe-Africa relations. The plan will be supported through the climate fund, with the ambition to direct 70% of the fund, a total of 3 billion euros to Africa.
As outlined by the Italian Prime Minister in her address to the ambassadors and the Foreign Minister in his address to parliament on 10th January 2024, the Mattei Plan is an opportunity to turn Italy into an energy hub, leveraging its partnership with Africa. While little is known of the details of the Plan, it is anticipated that it will address broader development cooperation issues, including the supply of natural resources and entrepreneurship. The development initiatives will support entrepreneurship programs focusing on women and youth, exports, education, vocational training, health, infrastructure, digitalisation, agriculture, food security, sustainable supply and use of natural resources, and tackling climate change.
The most cited objective, however, has been preventing irregular immigration, with PM Meloni calling for “Europe to increase aid and develop stronger bonds with Africa to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.”
Critics of the plan have drawn various parallels to the ambition to put Africa at the centre of cooperation, with little reference to African interests and priorities. Despite the high-level visits, little consultation has been observed. While Prime Minister Meloni guaranteed that the plan would be developed in partnership with Africa, African civil society indicates that the voice of the African citizenry is lacking in the crafting of the strategy.
The second point leveraged is on the plan's aspirations and what it means for the partnership with Africa. The focus on energy, extractive industry, and migration is already considered a Euro-centric priority. It is yet to be seen how the plan will live up to its billing as a shift away from the traditional extractivist model of taking Africa's resources to a more inclusive sustainable development model factoring Africa's long-term needs and interests.
If implemented consultatively, the Mattei Plan can lay the foundation for strategic cooperation between Africa and Europe. In order to achieve this, the plan should increase consultations within its operationalization with African civil society to ensure a balanced approach to the partnership. Further, the plan must consider three key issues of interest to Africa as outlined in the outcome of COP 28 and the Nairobi Declaration. These priorities include ensuring access to energy, a just transition and a focus on adaptation. This cooperation must help Africa attain the ambition to secure energy security for 600 million Africans.
The Mattei Plan emphasises sustainable extraction of natural resources and its impact on the African continent and the African citizens. Just transition, in this case, should take into account the socioeconomic needs of the communities, and easing the cost of the transition on governments.
Lastly, the implementation of the Mattei Plan should provide avenues for sustainable investment in adaptation. For the African continent, investment in adaptation is critical to ensuring that the investments in development initiatives including livelihoods are protected from the far-reaching implications of climate change. As such, the Italy -Africa partnership can lay the foundation for promoting sustainable adaptation initiatives.
In conclusion, while the details of the Mattei Plan remain unclear, the rhetoric around a partnership of equals is still yet to be a reality. The governance mechanisms of the Mattei Plan, however, provide for an inbuilt consultative mechanism for broader engagement. If effectively used, this mechanism can indeed serve as a basis for promoting mutual interest.
Enzi Ijayo Africa Initiative serves as a catalyst for change, bringing together academia, private sector, civil society, and governments to analyze and formulate policies.
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