“Let’s strengthen Ethiopia. In Africa, its stability is fundamental for immigration»- Corriere.it

Six dams built by the Italians. Two hundred million euros of trade cooperation to help remove Ethiopia from the specter of an endless financial crisis. A special relationship with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whom Giorgia Meloni sees as soon as she landed at the airport for the third time in a few months, and this morning for the fourth, in an unprecedented trilateral meeting with the Somali premier. Finally, a trip that constitutes a crucial piece of Mattei’s plan for Africa which is a compass for the foreign policy of his government and which, according to the premier, could be definitively presented in October.

Also in this setting Meloni arrived in the Ethiopian capital yesterday afternoon. A packed agenda of meetings spread over two days, a face-to-face with the president of the African Union, dinner with the Ethiopian government, and a multiple series of sensitive objectives that are illustrated by his staff: «We are here for numerous reasons last but not least that of not leaving further ground for China and Russia, we cannot leave a strategic country like Ethiopia to the commercial penetration of states that have nothing to do with the Western bloc”. It is no coincidence that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived here two months ago. And that both Scholz and Macron are expected in the short term.

Ethiopia’s numbers add salient data: it is the third African economy, out of two and a half years of civil war, it has 800,000 refugees on its territory, it is the second most populous country on the continent. It is Giorgia Meloni herself, in a quick press point with journalists, who frames the visit: «Ethiopia is a country whose stability is also fundamental for the countries that surround it and also in terms of immigration, we have with them historical relationships that we intend to further strengthen”.

Helping Ethiopia out of the crisis is one of the missions of the Italian government. As for Tunisia has IMF funding that needs to be released after years of military conflict. Thinking of the Libyan coasts, of the smuggling routes: as highlighted in the latest Copasir report, in 2022, the Ethiopian state is crucial in controlling the criminal activities of the whole region, from Eritrea to Sudan. And Meloni underlines this fact by defining the role that Addis Ababa can play in stabilizing a large portion of Africa as “strategic”.

The Prime Minister also lists the dossiers Palazzo Chigi is working on: «There is a series of initiatives concerning Africa», for example «the Italy-Africa intergovernmental summit, which takes place every two years: the next one will be held in the autumn and could be the right occasion to definitively present our Mattei plan. In the meantime, we are working on it in cooperation with African countries because you cannot expect to know what the best solutions are without talking to those directly involved”.

The head of government describes the Mattei plan in this way: «I think it produces much more than the effort it requires, for the Italian national interest, for the European interest, for the stability of a continent on which perhaps we have not done enough in recent years and which today sees the entry of different players. And I believe that in the work of stabilizing and developing Africa, a strong role for Italy and Europe is appropriate”.

On 6 February Abiy Ahmed was received at Palazzo Chigi and a first three-year cooperation agreement which provides for the allocation of 140 million euros of funds for development: 100 in loans, 40 non-repayable. Meloni’s goal – accompanied by the deputy foreign minister with responsibility for international cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli – is to reach at least 200 million euros. And draw a wide range of Italian investments, in addition to those underway in the construction and hydroelectric sectors, primarily with the multinational WeBuild.