Page 14 - DMEA Week 49 2022

DMEA NEWS IN BRIEF DMEA

Including selections from NewsBase’s partner services

SECURITY & POLICY

Italian PM Meloni

outlines ambitious
new policy agenda for

Africa in Rome speech

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni revealed her govern-
ment’s new policy towards Africa when speaking
at the “Med-Mediterranean dialogues” Confer-
ence in Rome last week.
The high-level initiative promoted by the Ital-
ian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ISPI (Italian
Institute for International Political Studies) is
held every year, with the aim being to “rethink
traditional approaches to the area complement-
ing analyses of current challenges with new
ideas and suggestions and to draft a new positive
agenda, addressing shared challenges at both the
regional and the international level.” of its gas from Algeria, mostly through the recorded a 54% Nigerian content level in 2022.
Meloni wishes Italy could “retake its leading Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline, also named after Presenting a status report at the 11th Practical
role” in Africa, calling her cabinet’s new strategy Enrico Mattei. Nigerian Content Workshop organised by the
“Piano Mattei” – named after Enrico Mattei, Mattei – a capable and headstrong manager Board and DMG Nigeria Events at Uyo, Akwa
the former CEO and founder of the modern who cut his teeth in the Christian Democrat Ibom State, the Executive Secretary NCDMB,
Agip and Eni, the Italian state-owned energy resistance to the fascist regime – died in a plane Simbi Kesiye Wabote explained that the average
corporation. crash in 1962 in mysterious circumstances. He of Nigerian Content performance in the last five
Meloni summarised the policy as “a virtu- was loathed by the US and even more by France years is 44%, which represents the period the
ous model of co-operation between Africa and for his unorthodox policies, which strengthened 10-year Nigerian Content Strategic Roadmap
the EU that doesn’t take a predatory stance, but African irredentism (particularly in Algeria) has been implemented so far.
rather a co-operative approach that recognises and weaved closer economic ties with the Soviet He indicated that the performance in 2022
each state’s identity and potential.” Union in a bid to reduce Italian energy depend- above is well above the 42% target set by the Pro-
Pointing out that security and stability in the ence on the “Seven Sisters” (a term coined by ject Management Office (PMO), just like in 2021
Mediterranean are in the whole EU’s interest Mattei himself), the major oil companies hailing when 42% was achieved, above the target of 38%.
and should be pursued with collective actions, from France, the US and the UK. He confirmed that the tracking of the perfor-
Meloni stressed the importance of helping the Mattei’s figure is not devoid of controversies mance is based on the Board’s monitoring and
pacification and reunification of Libya with the but is generally held in high esteem by Italians evaluation of Industry activities.
final aim being to “rid the country of foreign across the political spectrum for his unrepentant Strikingly, the technical capability devel-
mercenaries.” Even though Meloni didn’t elab- refusal to collude with Western powers at Italy’s opment pillar of the Road Map stands out as a
orate further on this point, she appears to have expense during the reconstruction years follow- major highlight as fabrication and construction,
been referring to Russian military contractors ing World War II. hitherto under near-total dominance by foreign
such as the Wagner Group, which supports His policies towards Africa were praised by firms, had 99% Nigerian content during the
the Tobruk-based faction led by Khalifa Haftar the regional independent governments for their period under review.
in the ongoing Libyan civil conflict. Haftar is magnanimity; remarkably, Mattei’s Eni offered He further disclosed that 77 out of 96 initia-
the leader of the faction known as the Libyan Algeria and Tunisia a 50:50 partnership for tives under the short- and medium-term cate-
National Army (LNA). extracting their oil in the 1960s, a much fairer gories of the Road Map had been completed in
Libya is the country where most ships car- share than the typical deals granted at the time November 2022.
rying migrants originate from, heading on to by American or French corporations to African He stated that manpower in the oil and gas
Lampedusa. The North African country’s polit- nations. industry had reached 81% Nigerian content as
ical instability makes it harder for Italy or the bna/IntelliNews, December 7 2022 of November, while project management as of
EU to make any deal to stem the departures at that month was 80%.
source. Nigerian content level Zeroing in on year 2022, the Executive Sec-
For Meloni’s right-wing party, FDI (Fratelli retary revealed that “performance was largely
d’Italia), the eradication of illegal migration hits 54% in 2022 driven by the contracts awarded under the
ranks high among its priorities. [Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas] Train 7 Pro-
Meloni also praised the successful co-opera- Mid-way into a 10-year Strategic Road Map for ject.” Low points in accomplishment were in
tion with Algeria – boosted by new deals signed enhanced indigenous participation and utili- procurement, engineering and services, with
by her predecessor Mario Draghi last summer sation of local assets in oil and gas operations, Nigerian Content as unimpressive as 34%, 46%
– which helped Italy to become less dependent industry regulator Nigerian Content Develop- and 50% respectively. These, he assured, would
on Russian gas. Italy currently imports 45% ment and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has be sufficiently addressed.

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 49 08•December•2022