Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen jointly led a high-level summit in Rome on Friday focused on advancing strategic investments across Africa. The meeting, which brought together African leaders from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, culminated in the announcement of shared agreements valued at €1.2 billion ($1.38 billion).
In a joint statement, Meloni and von der Leyen emphasized their shared commitment to forging “impactful partnerships, drive high-quality investments, and unlock opportunities for African-led sustainable growth, anchored in mutual respect, long-term collaboration, and shared prosperity.”
Key international financial institutions including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, and the Africa Finance Corporation also participated, underscoring the summit’s broad global engagement.
The summit reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the European Commission and Italy under the umbrella of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, an initiative aimed at fostering sustainable growth, resilience, and cooperation with African nations.
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The leaders expressed their intent to accelerate investments across vital sectors such as transport infrastructure, energy systems, agricultural value chains, and trade facilitation. Their approach emphasized a comprehensive strategy designed to empower local economies and promote inclusive regional integration.
Highlighting the growing alignment between the Global Gateway and the Mattei Plan, they stressed the importance of a “coherent Team Europe approach,” which includes coordinated efforts with international financial institutions like the African Development Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation.
Meloni described the summit as “a crucial step in the internationalization of the Mattei Plan,” underscoring the necessity of collaboration with partners such as the European Commission to meet ambitious goals.
The summit also marked a commitment to strengthen trilateral cooperation in sustainable agriculture, with a focus on climate-resilient value chains such as coffee. A new initiative under both the Global Gateway and Mattei Plan will boost East Africa’s coffee sector through regional integration and increased involvement of the Italian private sector.
On digital infrastructure, the leaders spotlighted the Blue Raman submarine cable project, co-funded with €37 million from the European Commission and supported by Italian firm Sparkle. This initiative aims to enhance connectivity, drive research and innovation, and foster technological ties between Europe, Africa, and India. It was presented as a key example of strategic investment facilitating Africa’s emergence as a significant digital player.
Further agreements were reached to mobilize private sector investments in crucial sectors including digital connectivity, renewable energy, and transport within Sub-Saharan Africa.
The summit also celebrated the launch of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, an initiative under the Italian G7 presidency designed to train young Africans, promote inclusive access to emerging technologies, and encourage cross-continental collaboration in artificial intelligence research and innovation.
In her closing remarks, von der Leyen stated, “We have just witnessed the conclusion of very important agreements, bringing over 1.2 billion euros of investment and guarantees to Africa. And they illustrate how we turn political will and common vision into very concrete decisions and most importantly reality on the ground.”
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