The Mattei Plan for Africa and Global Gateway: A common effort with the African Continent’
On 20 June 2025, the European Commission and Italy co-hosted a high-level event in Rome, reaffirming their strategic partnership with Africa through the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. Together, these frameworks aim to drive resilient, inclusive, and sustainable growth across the continent, anchored by a shared vision of long-term cooperation…
A major focus of the event was on energy connectivity and infrastructure as critical enablers of Africa’s sustainable development. The signing of a Letter of Intent between the European Commission, Italy, and the World Bank Group marks a key step to catalyse integrated energy systems across Africa. This collaboration is designed to bridge infrastructure gaps while aligning with ambitious climate goals, helping to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition.
The event also spotlighted the Lobito Corridor, a flagship initiative aimed to strengthen regional connectivity and economic integration by linking landlocked regions of Southern Africa to global markets. Beyond a rail project, the Corridor integrates transport, trade, energy systems, and agricultural value chains demonstrating a holistic development model that promotes regional integration and local empowerment. The Corridor is backed by a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Angola, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the EU, the United States, Italy, the African Development Bank, and the Africa Finance Corporation, highlighting its geopolitical and economic significance.
On the digital front, the launch of the Blue Raman Submarine Cable, co-financed by the European Commission and supported by Sparkle, Italy’s leading international telecommunications company will enhance connectivity between Europe, Africa, and India. This initiative supports digital infrastructure development, fostering research, innovation, and collaboration with key academic networks such as the GÉANT and the UbuntuNet Alliance. Alongside this, the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub for Sustainable Development, backed by the European Commission and Microsoft, aims to equip African youth with skills in emerging technologies and promote responsible artificial intelligence innovation.
Agriculture also featured as a vital sector of trilateral cooperation. The TERRA initiative, supported by a €109 million EU contribution, will strengthen sustainable agrifood systems in East Africa, focusing on climate-resilient value chains such as coffee. This initiative, led by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with UNIDO and financial partners, exemplifies efforts to boost local value addition, financial inclusion, and food security.
Overall, the event emphasized a Team Europe approach, underscoring close coordination between the EU, Italy, multilateral development banks, and the private sector to scale climate-aligned, commercially viable investments. With a combined commitment of €1.2 billion, this partnership marks a strategic shift toward investment-driven cooperation with Africa.
The Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) welcomes this strengthened collaboration, which opens new opportunities to accelerate energy cooperation, mobilise investment, and contribute meaningfully to shared development goals. Progress will be reviewed at the upcoming Global Gateway Forum in Brussels in October 2025, ensuring continued momentum and impact.
