Development and Digitalisation in Africa: Italy’s Cooperation Policy and Synergy with EU Plans

This project aims to assess and strengthen cooperation between Europe and Africa in the field of digital governance, within a global context marked by multiple crises that have exposed the fragility of multilateral cooperation and negatively impacted Africa’s political and socio-economic stability. The project analyses Italy’s role – with focus on the Mattei Plan – in fostering a fair and sustainable digital partnership between Europe and Africa, grounded in common objectives. Digital transformation represents a strategic opportunity to enhance access to information, markets, services, and finance, while also promoting innovation, participation, and transparency in public governance.
Through an in-depth analysis of the EU-Africa digital partnership, the project will identify mutual areas of interest and divergences, assess best practices to formulate effective policy recommendations. Special attention will be given to the role of Italian cooperation policies in advancing digital infrastructure and digital skills in Africa, as well as synergies with European initiatives such as Team Europe and Global Gateway. The project has the goal to leverage the cooperation between EU initiatives and Mattei Plan, with the aim to strengthen the impact of EU digital cooperation in Africa. The final recommendations will be useful to develop future digital partnerships between Europe and Africa, promoting a more sustainable development for the African local needs.

Funding: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mercator Stiftung, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Centro Studi sul Federalismo