Africa — its resources and migration — takes centre stage at G7 summit in Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose Africa development plan has drawn criticism, has elevated the continent as a central theme and top priority at this year’s Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ meeting, positioning Italy as a key energy hub linking Europe with Africa.
Africa is high on Italy’s agenda this year at the three-day G7 leaders’ meeting that started in Puglia on Thursday (13 June), where a dozen heads of state have gathered to focus on issues ranging from global politics, to climate change and development. Israel’s war on Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and rising competition with China are expected to dominate talks, but Meloni intends to bring to the spotlight her foreign policy centerpiece — the so-called Mattei Plan. The project symbolizes her vision to project influence in Africa, transforming Italy into a key bridge for distributing gas from Africa and the Mediterranean to the rest of Europe, while also fostering economic growth to stem mass migration from the African continent.
However, experts have cautioned that the feasibility of Meloni’s vision hinges on clear economic resources, as the objectives inherent in the Mattei Plan seem to be centered on investment rather than development. The Italian prime minister’s approach accentuates the involvement of financial institutions, banks, and private and state-owned companies for her push, with much less emphasis on involving NGOs and humanitarian organizations. Emboldened by her victory in the recent European Parliament elections, at the G7 summit, Meloni is seeking partnerships, funding, and legitimacy for her vision. “Meloni wants to present Italy as the new European face in Africa,” Maddalena Procopio, a senior policy fellow from European Council on Foreign Relations, says. “Emphasizing the continent at the G7 is a strategic move because of the unprecedented global interest.”