Milan. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy and its African partners focused their latest talks on the continent’s debt burden, with Rome offering countries the option to suspend repayments when struck by extreme climate events.
“Today, once again, we focused on an issue that is central for Africa, which is debt,” Meloni said late on Friday at the close of the second Italy–Africa meeting in Addis Ababa.
“We have launched a broad initiative on debt conversion for joint development projects. To this, we are adding the introduction of debt‑suspension clauses for those nations affected by extreme climate events,” she added.
Meloni is scheduled to attend on Saturday the plenary session of the 39th ordinary meeting of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
She did not provide details on how the proposed suspension mechanism would work or which countries might take it up.
Italy has made cooperation with African countries a cornerstone of its foreign policy, particularly through its “Mattei Plan,” which Rome says aims to build long‑term partnerships in energy, agriculture, and infrastructure.
