"I would like to greet all the representatives of African institutions and representatives of the Italian system, the private sector, the financial world, and cooperation who are present today: your participation confirms that the Mattei Plan is not just an Italian initiative but is now a strategy with European and international reach, one that is far-sighted and increasingly gaining support." This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the conference at the European Parliament "Mattei Plan for Africa and Global Gateway: A new model for Europe-Africa relations."

"Today," Meloni continues, "the Mattei Plan is no longer an idea, but an operational reality that is producing concrete results. I want to highlight three numbers above all: the direct involvement of now 14 African nations, over a billion euros in resources already committed by Italy to projects on the African continent, and the synergy with the Global Gateway, which is worth more than 1.2 billion euros."

"A cooperation - adds Meloni - which today focuses on 4 major strategic initiatives:

• the construction of the Lobito Infrastructure Corridor, to connect West Africa to East Africa, uniting Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia;
• the development of coffee production chains in several African countries; the extension of the Blue Raman cable to East Africa, the maritime backbone that will connect India to European economies, passing through the Middle East and the Mediterranean;
• the AI Hub for Sustainable Development in Rome, which will involve hundreds of African start-ups to apply artificial intelligence to the various sectors of the Plan."

"We are moving forward with this work," the Prime Minister said, "because we are convinced that investing in Africa's future means investing in Europe's future itself. We are doing so through a method that has become a benchmark at the European level, as demonstrated by the presentation a few weeks ago in Brussels of the Global Gateway Hub, the permanent platform that will coordinate European projects and investments on the African continent."

"The spirit that guides our action," Meloni continued, "is inspired by Enrico Mattei : a great Italian, a visionary, who with his 'pragmatic patriotism' served the national interest by building bridges and cooperating with other peoples."

"The Summit between the European Union and the African Union, which will take place in Angola in the coming weeks," Meloni commented, "will be an opportunity to further develop this vision and synchronize strategic programs between the two continents. Italy will continue to be a bridge between Europe and Africa, providing the expertise of its businesses, the strength of its institutions, and its great tradition of dialogue."

"Because," Meloni concluded, "Europe's future depends on a more stable, safer, and more prosperous Africa. And Africa's future depends on a Europe capable of listening, investing, and building together, with humility and respect for others. This is an epochal challenge in which, I am certain, the European Parliament will play a leading role."