ROME, Italy
Kenya's president endorsed Italy's plan for closer cooperation with Africa on Tuesday, saying it was evidence that Europe was taking the continent seriously despite criticism over the limited initial funding.
Italian Prime Minister,
Giorgia Meloni unveiled a long-awaited initiative on Monday aimed at helping
African countries prosper in return for curbing illegal immigration, pumping a
preliminary 5.5 billion euros (Ksh.961 billion) into the scheme.
Some critics scoffed at
the small scale of many of the projects, while the chairman of the
African Union Commission publicly chastised Meloni for not consulting more
widely on the priorities beforehand.
But Kenyan President William
Ruto told reporters that the so-called Mattei plan, named after the late founder
of Italian energy giant Eni, represented a good start.
"Every journey begins
with one simple step. And I think that the most important step has been made,
that we are recalibrating our relationship with Italy as a continent,"
Ruto said.
The Kenyan leader said it was
especially relevant given Italy held the rotating chair of the Group of Seven
(G7) major Western powers, adding that he was confident Meloni would honour her
pledge to promote African interests during her presidency.
"The narrative around
Africa was conflict, disease, war. Now it's changing. It is opportunity,
investment, market and solutions," he said, denying any doubts
over the financial stability of his own country.
African Union Commission chief
Moussa Faki Mahamat jolted his Italian hosts on Monday with sharply worded
comments at the opening of the summit in Italy's opulent Senate chamber.
"We are not beggars, our
ambition is much higher, we want a paradigm shift for a new model of
partnership that can pave the way towards a fairer and more coherent
world," he told Meloni.
"You can well understand
that we can no longer be satisfied with mere promises that are often not
kept," he said.
Meloni's domestic political
foes accused her of short-changing her guests, saying much of the money that
she pledged had already been announced previously.
"There is nothing new in
the Mattei Plan, just funding already provided in the past and projects started
long ago under another name," said Davide Faraone, the Senate leader of
the centrist Italia Viva party.
Of the 5.5 billion euros
promised by Meloni, some 3 billion euros came from an international climate
fund set up in 2021, while other funds would come in the shape of public
guarantees rather than hard cash for on-the-ground projects.
"This is not entirely
about money. This is about a relationship," Ruto said, adding that Europe
was waking up to the immense potential of Africa, which has the largest
renewable energy resources in the world and two thirds of its arable land.
"The meeting encapsulated
a new thinking not just in Italy, but in Europe and globally, about the place
of Africa as a continent," he said.
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