Bari, Italy – Africa is poised to be a pivotal topic for Italy at this year’s G7 leaders’ summit, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aspires to position Italy as a central energy hub between Europe and Africa.

However, experts caution whether there is a concrete plan and sufficient economic resources to support this initiative.

A dozen heads of state are anticipated to attend the three-day forum, commencing Thursday in Puglia, to deliberate on global politics.

The agenda for the initial G7 session includes Africa, climate change, and development.

Meloni’s efforts to engage a substantial number of guests from the Global South indicate her ambitious outreach.

While the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel's war on Gaza, and rising competition from China are expected to dominate discussions, Meloni wishes to highlight her flagship foreign policy: the Mattei Plan.

This plan aims to project power in Africa and position Italy as a conduit for distributing gas from Africa and the Mediterranean to Europe, besides promoting economic growth to curb mass migration from Africa.

Nonetheless, Meloni’s focus appears more on investment over development.

She has enlisted financial institutions, banks, and private and state-owned enterprises. NGOs and humanitarian organizations have a less prominent role.

At the G7, experts predict Meloni will seek partnerships, funding, and legitimacy.

This timing is fortuitous for Meloni, who will preside over the summit as Europe’s rising star following her recent success at the European Parliament elections.

A New Face

“It’s about presenting a new strategy appealing to both the electorate and enterprises – Africa is seen as an opportunity to grow when diversifying energy partners and resources [are] key,” stated Maddalena Procopio, a senior policy fellow in the Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“Meloni aims to position Italy as the new European face in Africa, and emphasizing the continent at the G7 is a smart move given the unprecedented global interest in it,” Procopio added.

Africa holds approximately 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, which are vital for renewable and low-carbon technologies such as solar and electric vehicles. Additionally, it holds 8 percent of the world’s natural gas, according to the UN.

These resources are crucial as Western nations strive to reduce reliance on Russian gas post-Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. For instance, Algeria has supplied nearly 40 percent of Italy’s gas imports since last year.

Some analysts suggest a geopolitical motivation as well.

Italy's ambition is to step in where competing France faces significant setbacks.

Italy carries a lighter colonial history compared to France and aims to engage African partners in a non-paternalistic and non-imposing manner. Anti-French and anti-American sentiments have recently surged across Africa, especially in French-speaking regions where French troops have withdrawn.

‘Just Narrative’

As competition grows between the West and the China-Russia bloc, the EU and US will scrutinize Meloni’s plan, albeit with some skepticism regarding its feasibility.

At an Italy-Africa summit earlier this year, Meloni outlined five investment areas: energy, agriculture, water, health, and education, along with a few pilot projects.

Observers were left unimpressed.

“The details were vague, with many projects being rebranded initiatives already underway,” said Bernardo Venturi, head of research and policy at the Agency for Peacebuilding NGO.

He noted that no additional funds were allocated for the plan, apart from 5 billion euros ($5.38bn) reallocated from other budgets, and claimed that most African partners were not consulted.

Since then, a working group was formed, but the foreign ministry and experienced NGOs were given a marginal role, Venturi added.

“Italy also lacks the economic resources to invest in new projects and has a marginal institutional presence across the continent,” said Venturi, who has closely observed the project’s development.

To achieve success, EU member states' financial support is crucial, but Meloni has so far allocated limited responsibility to the foreign ministry, raising questions about its international reach.

Rights groups have criticized the plan, arguing it attempts to disguise anti-immigration policies as an energy investment scheme.

Meloni heavily focused her election campaign on tackling migration.

Human rights organizations accuse her government of trying to obstruct the operations of search and rescue groups in the Mediterranean, thereby restricting refugees' access to Italy.

An unnamed Italian official dismissed the initiative to Al Jazeera, saying, “There is not such a thing as the Mattei Plan, it’s just narrative.”