Good morning everyone,
I wish to greet and thank President Sangalli and all of Confcommercio for organising this initiative, which focuses on the Italian private sector’s contribution to the Mattei Plan for Africa.

I am very pleased that, from the outset, this nation’s economic and productive fabric has understood the importance and strategic value of the challenge this Government has launched with the Mattei Plan initiative. This is very valuable because the Mattei Plan’s success and its ability to really build the new cooperation and development model with African nations we have in mind will depend a lot on the contribution of our companies and on their ability to put their talents and practical expertise at the service of this initiative. You see, what sets the Mattei Plan apart from all other past initiatives is precisely its focus on results. We haven’t written down a list of good intentions and statements of principle; we have drawn up a plan of realistic, achievable goals, accompanied by a well-defined time schedule.

We clearly could not have taken on this challenge alone, which is why we decided to involve a very wide range of different representatives from Italy’s economic system in the steering committee when we established the Plan’s governance structure. Confcommercio is of course one of the organisations we have asked to give us a hand, and I would like to once again thank all of you for your contribution and the proposals you have shared with us – starting with your focus on vocational training – and for what you will continue to do over the coming months.

Concreteness is the distinguishing feature of the Mattei Plan, which we have structured around six action areas: education and training; health; agriculture; water; energy; and, infrastructure. The Plan is beginning to be implemented with a number of pilot projects starting in nine nations: Algeria; Congo; 
Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt; Ethiopia; Kenya; Morocco; Mozambique; Tunisia.

We have also brought this approach, with the same focus on results, to the G7, the forum which, as you know, Italy has the responsibility of leading this year. At the Summit held at Borgo Egnazia, we set up a number of very innovative financial instruments with the African Development Bank and World Bank to develop co-investment strategies in Africa, and we launched structured synergies and connections between the Mattei Plan and existing initiatives by our partners, particularly regarding investments in infrastructure. I am thinking, for example, of the decision to contribute to one of the projects by the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, with a financial commitment of up to EUR 320 million: construction of the ‘Lobito corridor’, which is the infrastructure system that will connect Angola and Zambia through the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a major piece of infrastructure involving several sectors, and it opens up opportunities for Italian companies too. I also wish to recall the excellent synergy Italy has established with the United States in Kenya, where two pilot projects under the Mattei Plan are taking shape in the renewable energy sector. The first regards development of the biofuel supply chain, involving up to around 400 thousand farmers; the second regards geothermal energy production.

We have worked hard over these months, also to create a framework for the public sector and private sector to be able to work together, including in areas of Africa where Italy has not been traditionally present. We are also committed to further supporting the internationalisation of Italian companies, including by allocating part of the SIMEST Fund to those that invest in Africa, with particular regard to our small and medium-sized enterprises, with financing that can also be used for productive investments in the continent. 

So, dear friends, this is a great project, a great initiative. Clearly, for too long, Africa has been, let’s say, misunderstood, exploited and often looked down upon. In our view, Africa is instead a continent that can surprise if it is put in a position to make the most of its extraordinary resources and to compete on an equal footing. It is up to us to work with African nations, and to build new opportunities for shared development together with them and their increasingly dynamic and enterprising economic and production systems. Cooperation among equals that must benefit everyone, in order to grow together, without charity-based or paternalistic approaches. And we intend to do this not by making declarations, but rather through facts, transforming our intentions into infrastructure, concrete projects and jobs.

We have a lot of work to do, and I am certain the Government will always be able to count on your contribution and the contribution of Italy’s economic system as a whole, which has understood how strategic this initiative is for our future and for the future of our African ‘neighbours’. 

Thank you all, and I wish you all the best with your work!

[Courtesy translation]