Italy announced a plan to allow African countries to suspend debt repayments after extreme climate events, a proposal unveiled by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the second Italy–Africa Summit held on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) meeting in Addis Ababa.
The initiative forms part of Italy’s broader Mattei Plan, which allocates €5.5 billion across 57 projects in 14 African states and aims to deepen cooperation in energy, infrastructure and investment.
At the summit, Meloni said the proposal includes a “broad initiative on debt conversion” combined with new clauses enabling temporary repayment suspensions for countries hit by climate shocks. However, she offered no details on eligibility criteria or activation mechanisms.
Financial outlets, citing Reuters, underscored the absence of operational guidelines and noted that the plan aligns with Rome’s effort to reposition its Africa strategy amid rising debt stress across the continent.
Italy holds roughly $1.3 billion in African sovereign debt through concessional loans administered by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. Many target countries, such as Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, face overlapping climate and financial pressures.
Angola and Kenya have been hit by recurrent flooding, Ethiopia by chronic drought, and Côte d’Ivoire by accelerating coastal erosion.
