Italy’s Meloni touts €1.2 bn plan to boost Africa economies: mirage or reality?

On Friday, Italy’s Prime Minister presented her “Mattei Plan” at a conference co-chaired by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. Giorgia Meloni aims at limiting emigration from Africa by supporting the continent’s economic development. But civil society groups believe that these ambitions are unrealistic and mostly based on promises. Story by Clemence Waller and analysis by Giovanni Merco Carbone, head of the Africa Programme at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.