Italy has launched a €5.5 billion investment drive across several African countries in a bid to redefine its development relationship with the continent. Announced during a high-level summit in Rome co-hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the initiative—known as the Mattei Plan—will fund large-scale infrastructure, energy, education, and digital transformation projects in Angola, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and North Africa.
The Mattei Plan is being positioned as a flagship of Italy’s renewed Africa policy, aligned with the European Union’s wider €150 billion Global Gateway strategy. The Global Gateway initiative aims to build sustainable partnerships and counterbalance the influence of other global powers in Africa through investment in resilient infrastructure and services.
At the Rome summit in June 2025, Meloni announced an initial €1.2 billion allocation toward Mattei’s implementation. Specific projects include strengthening health systems in Côte d’Ivoire, supporting environmental and higher education initiatives in Ethiopia, and expanding water infrastructure in the DRC. Ethiopia’s participation also reflects alignment with its Homegrown Economic Reform agenda, while Angola views the plan as a means to accelerate its economic diversification.
Digital connectivity is a central pillar. A key component is the extension of the EU-backed Blue-Raman undersea cable—which connects Europe and Asia—to East Africa. Spearheaded by Google and Italy’s Sparkle, the cable is expected to enhance internet access in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. In parallel, a Microsoft-backed AI Hub for Sustainable Development will support African startups focused on climate innovation and digital resilience.
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One of the most ambitious aspects of the Mattei Plan is its backing of the Lobito Corridor, a multimodal transport route that will link Angola’s Atlantic port to mining regions in DRC and Zambia. Alongside improvements to the China-funded TAZARA railway—which connects Zambia to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam—the Lobito Corridor could eventually offer a near-continuous trade route from coast to coast. The corridor is also intended to anchor a new investment zone targeting agribusiness, energy, and digital applications.
Italy’s financial commitment goes beyond direct investment. Through the African Development Bank (AfDB), Rome has committed to co-financing sovereign-guaranteed projects in areas such as industrialization, energy, environment, and agriculture. The Mattei Plan Financing Facility will draw on a combination of €3 billion from Italy’s Climate Fund and €2.5 billion from its development cooperation budget. A further €235 million has been pledged in debt conversions to ease the financial burden on African governments.
The Mattei Plan is named after Enrico Mattei, founder of the Italian energy company ENI, who was known for advocating economic partnerships with African nations during the post-colonial period. While the plan has been framed as a development-first approach, it also serves Italy’s strategic interests. As European nations seek alternatives to Russian gas, Italy is looking to secure stable energy flows from Africa. ENI is currently investing $26 billion in energy production across Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and Angola.
Observers note that the Mattei Plan marks a shift in European-African relations. “This is essential in a polarized world where African partners have proved that they can work with old and new actors on an equal basis, beyond the traditional donor-recipient logic,” wrote analysts Daniele Fattibene and Stefano Manservisi of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs.
Still, some African civil society actors have urged vigilance to ensure local communities benefit from these investments and are included in the planning process. Concerns have also been raised about whether the new plan genuinely breaks from past top-down development models or simply repackages geopolitical interests under a new label.
Italy is expected to further outline its priorities at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels in October 2025, where progress on the Mattei Plan will come under scrutiny from both African and European stakeholders.
