Colleagues, friends, representatives of the Italian and US private sector, 

the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment is among the strategic projects launched within the G7, to support the development and economic growth of the most fragile nations, particularly in Africa and Asia. 

When this initiative was launched two years ago, we immediately believed in it because it has the same approach that inspires the Mattei Plan for Africa, the plan that Italy is carrying out together with the African Nations to encourage quality investments and large projects in the infrastructure, energy and production fields, with a focus on training and education in the African continent. 
It is the same spirit of the Global Gateway, promoted by the European Union and specifically aimed as well at the African continent.

We consider the PGII, the Mattei Plan and the Global Gateway the three pillars of a broader G7 strategy to build a new model of partnership with the African Nations. To this end, we intend to create, between these three initiatives, structured synergies and coordinated activities, to maximize efforts and investments, and thus obtain greater benefits for everyone. 

The first element of this synergy, which I am very proud to announce here today, is Italy's choice - through the Mattei Plan - to contribute, alongside the EU Global Gateway, to one of the strategic projects of the PGII. I am referring to the "Lobito Corridor", the crucial infrastructure system which aims to connect Angola to Zambia, through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to connect regional markets to global ones.

Another significant step in our commitment is the decision to raise the strategic profile of the PGII, through the establishment, within the G7, of a Secretariat capable of strengthening its implementation and better coordinating the partners. This is essential as collaboration and coordination are critical elements for the success of the interventions we are carrying out together with the African nations. 

I think of the excellent synergy that Italy has established with the United States in Kenya, one of the Nations where two pilot projects in the renewable energy sector of the Mattei Plan – one for the development of biofuels, the other for the production of geothermal energy - are taking shape. 

To accelerate the implementation of all these initiatives it is crucial to pool and combine financial resources. We have worked extensively in recent months in this direction, and I am particularly proud to announce the establishment, together with the African Development Bank, of innovative financial instruments, which are open to the contribution of those interested in developing co-investment strategies. 
And I would like in this context to acknowledge the United Arab Emirates for having made an initial contribution to our multi-donor fund, a fund that we hope will also grow together with you in the coming months.

Alongside all this work, we also intend to support the Virtual Platform for Investments in Africa, launched by the African Union and the OECD, to improve transparency and public policies on investments in the continent. This is an instrument that aims to enhance the great potential of African nations, which are strengthening their ties through a free trade area on a continental scale. 

For too long Africa has been misunderstood and exploited, looked down on from above. But Africa is instead a continent that can surprise if put in the conditions to take advantage of what is extraordinary about it. It is up to us to collaborate with African nations, and to build with them new development opportunities, with a peer-to-peer approach, in order to grow together. We want to do it not through lectures and documents but with facts, turning our intentions into building blocks, answers and jobs.  

Here, my wish for each of us is that new synergies, and new opportunities, but in particular concrete answers, may arise from this meeting. 

Now the word goes to the President of the United States, Joe Biden, whom I thank again.