Italy collaborates with the EU on a debt-relief initiative for Africa linked to development projects

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Friday that she and the European Union were collaborating on a debt-relief program for African nations as part of Rome’s endeavors to support African development and tackle the underlying causes of mass migration.

In Rome, Meloni met with officials of African countries, international organizations, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a summit at the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili.

On the lawn of the villa, with St. Peter’s dome visible behind her, Meloni presented the joint EU-Italy debt plan. “The entire 10-year operation will allow us to convert some 235 million euros ($270.67 million) of debt into development projects to be implemented locally,” she added.

Through the Mattei Plan for Africa, which was introduced last year and is named after the late Enrico Mattei, the founder of the state oil giant Eni, Italy is already assisting Africa. Its goal is to support initiatives in sectors like energy and agriculture in order to boost the continent’s economy.

In 2021, the EU introduced its Global Gateway investment plan as a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

African debt, according to right-wing leader Meloni, is a critical issue for the continent and, if left unchecked, may “undermine all other efforts” for development.

“The objective of the new debt plan is to reduce the debt of low-middle income African countries by 50%,” she told reporters, without providing any details.

Italy and the EU also announced bilateral agreements with Africa. Rome said in a statement that the summit’s “shared commitments towards the African continent” were valued at 1.2 billion euros.

“The leaders agreed to review progress of the strategic partnership under the framework of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the Mattei Plan for Africa at the Global Gateway Forum on 9-10 October 2025 in Brussels,” stated the statement.

Among the many agreements previously announced, Meloni and Von der Leyen listed funding for a road and rail route that would connect Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where minerals are extracted, with the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic coast.

The agreements, according to von der Leyen, “show how we translate political will and a shared vision into very concrete decisions, and most importantly reality on the ground.”