At the Ecomondo Fair, Italy reaffirms its desire to cooperate with African countries

Friday 08th November 2024 03:31 PM

(Ecofin Agency) – The 2024 edition of Ecomondo, one of the most important events dedicated to green technologies and the circular economy, confirmed Italy’s ambition to strengthen its partnerships with Africa. At the Africa Green Growth forum, organized on Thursday, November 7 on the sidelines of the event, Italian authorities and African representatives discussed, among other things, the implementation of the Mattei Plan, a strategic program which places the continent at the center of green growth policy. ‘Italy for the energy transition, but not only…

According to data relayed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, trade between Italy and Africa amounted to 42.1 billion euros in 2021, up 42% compared to 2020 and 8.6% compared to 2019. Another report available on the website of the same organization shows that Italian exports to Africa between 2007 and 2020 were dominated by machinery and equipment (9% of the total), refined petroleum products and coke (5%) as well as base metals and metal products (4.4%). Italian imports from Africa are dominated by mining industry products (14.6%) and base metals and other metal products (5.1%). The same document targeted several sectors as being “the most promising for the expansion of Italian companies in Africa”, notably the agri-food and agricultural industries, the energy sector, in particular alternative and renewable energies, the infrastructure sector, technological innovation and digital connectivity. At the start of 2024, Italy unveiled the Mattei Plan, a program of “strategic partnership” with African countries with an initial budget of $6 billion. Named after the founder of the Italian company ENI, Enrico Mattei, this initiative has the stated aim of “secure the EU’s supply of energy products, accelerate the development of African countries to curb migratory flows towards Europe and transform Italy into an energy hub linking Africa to Europe”.

A rapprochement that is becoming clearer

A few months after the Italy-Africa Summit which more than twenty African leaders attended, several African delegations were also present this week, in a completely different context in Italy at the 27^e edition of the Ecomondo Show. According to MIDA Group, a structure advising Ecomondo on Africa and met on site by theEcofin Agency, more than 100 African participants were invited for this edition. Delegations include representatives from institutions, industries, agencies, ministries, municipalities and regions across the continent. Among other countries represented, we find Senegal, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Kenya, DRC, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Several of these delegations were present at the Africa Green Growth Forum during which discussions took place around the Mattei Plan and its implementation, in the presence of Italian personalities such as Corrado Peraboni, CEO of Italian Exhibition Group, Fabio Massimo Ballerini , advisor to the President of the Council of Ministers, or Alessandra Pastorelli, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Although few details are circulating regarding the implementation schedule of this program, we nevertheless know that several pilot projects have been launched and relate to sectors such as health, education, training, agriculture, water , energy and infrastructure. Nine African countries were selected for pilot projects, namely Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Egypt, Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya. One of the flagship projects that attracted attention at the forum concerns the creation in Morocco of a Center of Excellence for renewable energies. It should, according to details confirmed by several panelists, train experts from several African countries, in order to strengthen management and infrastructure development capacities in the clean energy sector. The Forum also highlighted sustainable agriculture and bioenergy initiatives in Kenya. Led by a partnership led by Eni and financed by the Italian Climate Fund, the project supports the production of biofuels, from raw materials grown on degraded, polluted or abandoned land, and second harvest crops. The initiative, which benefits from a $210 million loan, aims, according to stakeholders, to revitalize local agriculture and increase the income of nearly 200,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers. According to details announced at the forum on Thursday, more than 100,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers are benefiting from the project in 16 counties.

The discussions also made it possible to explore projects in the field of the circular economy, addressing themes such as textile recycling and the management of waste electrical equipment. A panel highlighted initiatives such as the valorization of textiles in Tunisia.

What Africa has to offer Italy and vice versa

According to the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Mattei Plan is based on an approach that breaks with “the predatory attitude” with regard to Africa. “So far, a certain paternalistic and predatory approach has not worked. What needs to be done in Africa is not charity, but strategic partnerships of equals,” she said previously.

If we are to believe the discussions held at Ecomondo 2024, in addition to sharing with Africa its technical skills and experience in the development of a circular and sustainable economy, Italy can provide it with privileged access to markets. Europeans and mobilize funds through its public institutions.

In return, Africa can supply Italy with natural resources, including renewable energy and critical minerals. This potential, combined with a young workforce, attracts Italian companies seeking opportunities in growing markets. “With a population of 1.4 billion, the world’s largest youth population, the world’s largest renewable energy sources, the world’s largest deposits of critical minerals and metals and the largest share of remaining uncultivated arable land in the world, Africa will determine the future of the world,” was rightly summed up by the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, in early 2024, during the Italy-Africa Summit.

Overcoming skepticism and challenges

Despite the various releases highlighting the new partnership approach “equal to equal” that Italy wants to develop with African countries, skeptics cannot help but see instead close links with Rome’s desire to find a solution to the migration problem. According to a note from the Italian institute ISPI, the management of human mobility is not “presented as a key objective in itself, but as a cross-cutting component, as the plan aims to address the drivers of migration by improving socio-economic conditions in countries of origin”. An analysis published on the website of the think tank Washington Institute for Near East Policy expresses several reservations concerning the Italian strategy through its Mattei Plan. The analysis compares the program to a previous Africa strategy Germany launched to stem the flow of migration, which saw the government encourage German companies to invest in Africa. “As in the case of Italy, curbing the flow of migrants to Europe was the ultimate driver of German cooperation with Africa. And like the proposed Mattei Plan, this one-dimensional focus on the migration crisis precluded a comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach capable of addressing the underlying issues that drive emigration from Africa. can we read in the analysis.

Beyond the aforementioned point, other doubts have been raised about the lack of involvement of African countries in the design of this plan, with some observers having noted the importance of a preliminary dialogue to avoid unequal cooperation. Furthermore, other analysts have expressed reservations regarding the announced budget, which would be insufficient to achieve the objectives set.

In this ocean of doubts, however, it is possible to see the glass half full, because between now and the full implementation of its strategy, Italy still has time not to disappoint. “Every journey begins with a single step. And I think the most important step has been taken: we are recalibrating our relationship with Italy,” declares optimistic Kenyan President William Ruto.

In a context where Africa has become the terrain of geopolitical struggles between great powers trying to defend their own interests, it will also be up to African countries to defend their own agendas at the various negotiating tables. This is also one of the strong ideas put forward in a recent report published on Ecofin Pro which analyzes the positioning of countries like the DRC and Zambia in the face of Sino-American rivalry on the Lobito corridor.

Louis-Nino Kansoun, depuis Rimini (Italy)