2nd Italy-Summit 2026 Takes Stock of Mattei Plan and Seeks to Expand Partnership
The 2nd Italy-Africa Summit took place in Addis Ababa on 13 February 2026. The Summit follows the inaugural one held in Rome two years ago, and this time it is happening during the same timeframe as the African Union’s (AU) 39th Summit in the Ethiopian capital.
The main points on the agenda are the #MatteiPlan and Illegal Migration. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni traveled to Addis Ababa to co-chair the Summit with her Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed. Giorgia Meloni is also the guest of honor at the 39th African Union Summit and is expected to deliver a keynote at the plenary of the General Assembly of Heads of State and Government on 14 February 2026.
Some observers note a significant change in attitude compared to the past. Indeed, whereas in the past, certain countries would convene an African Summit by dangling financial incentives, and African leaders would rush to attend. African leaders have now realized that there is no free lunch. It is interesting to note the change in dynamic as more and more world leaders now travel to Africa to meet with African leaders, rather than the other way round.
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed underscored that the time has come to walk the talk. The youth dividend of Africa is set to bloom with the injection of capital and know-how from Europe. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni underlined that Italy wants to ‘build things together’ with Africa, rather than impose things. African leaders firmly believe that if opportunities are available in the home country, there would be no reason to migrate.
The Summit is an opportunity to take stock of the Mattei Plan, officially launched in Rome in 2024. To date, Italy and Africa have signed about 100 cooperation projects with a total value of over EUR 1.3 billion. Italy created the Italy-Africa Fund and the Italian Climate Fund to provide financing under the Mattei Plan.
In addition, Italy works closely with multilateral development banks (#MDB) such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank to mobilize financing. Italy has also developed a working relationship with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
So far, 14 African countries have adhered to the Mattei Plan for Africa, and Italy is eager to grow its membership. In addition to traditional cooperation sectors such as energy, agriculture, water, health, and infrastructure, the plan is to extend into Artificial Intelligence (#AI) with an emphasis on capacity building.