An Italian delegation led by Lorenzo Ortona, coordinator of the Mattei Plan for Africa, visited Congo-Brazzaville on August 31, 2024. The latter was received in audience by President Denis Sassou Nguesso. At the heart of this trip: the implementation of the projects selected under the Mattei Plan, during the Italy-Africa Summit held in Rome last January.
According to the emissary of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the meeting with President Denis Sassou Nguesso provided an opportunity to take stock of the projects selected under the Mattei Plan. “We came to take stock of the projects that our political leader had discussed at the Rome Summit in January,” said Lorenzo Ortona.
And he continued: “We are focusing more on projects relating to water, agriculture and energy. Climate change. We have seen where we are with the project, and we will focus in a concrete and determined way to work together to build our partnership which is already stronger but must be even stronger.
In Congo, the Mattei plan is mainly based on water supply and agriculture with the perspective of training Congolese farmers.
For the moment, the projects resulting from the Mattei plan are concentrated in the capital, in Brazzaville. ” We are seeing how we can improve water distribution throughout Brazzaville, then we will see if we can do the same thing in Pointe Noire and in other areas of the country. In the private sector, we are studying where we can work together for the training of farmers and also to address the problems related to climate change, ” Lorenzo Ortona also said.
The visit of the Italian delegation comes more than six months after the Africa-Italy Summit in Rome, which saw the presentation of the Mattei Plan by the President of the Italian Council of Ministers, Georgia Meloni. Now it is time to implement the selected projects.
Costing 5.5 billion, and based on a vast program of investments and win-win partnerships with Africa, the Mattei Plan (named after the founder of the Italian energy group Eni) was unveiled by Georgia Meloni, President of the Italian Council. It was during the Italy-Africa Summit which took place in Rome, on January 28 and 29, 2024. A total of 9 African countries are now involved in this Plan. At the forefront of these countries is the Republic of Congo.
On June 26, 2024, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Congo to Italy, Henri Okemba, took part in the conference-debate dedicating the said Plan. A meeting organized by Confcommercio, under the theme: “Mattei Plan, what opportunities for Africa, Italy and businesses”.
This article is originally published on afriquinfos.com
