Piano Mattei: “It doesn’t listen to the real needs that exist in African countries, the Italian initiative lacks prospects”

PESCARA (DIRE Agency) – The Mattei Plan “lacks prospects”. And it doesn’t listen to the “real needs” of the continent. To report it Conference of Italian missionary institutes (Cimi), in a note released on the occasion of a meeting promoted within the framework of the ministerial G7 Development in Pescara. The text was relaunched by the Comboni Missionaries, one of the congregations part of Cimi.

“We need clarity”. “Clarity is needed on the relationship between the action of missionaries in Africa and the Mattei Plan” underline the religious. “The next, so-called, opportunity to do it is given to us Conference of Italian missionaries which took place today, 23 October, on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and within the framework of the G7 ministerial meeting on development”. Cimi continues: “The meeting, we read on the Farnesina website, will have as its theme the contribution of missionary realities to the sustainable development of the populations among which they carry out their mission, underlining the impact of their works through the sharing of success stories and good practice.

The migration-development nexus. The event will focus its work on strengthening education and training opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa for young people, also by virtue of the connections with the Mattei Plan and with the migration-development nexus”. The missionaries denounce: “Let’s start by saying that the name of this initiative is misleading; firstly because it risks overlapping with the ‘Conference of Italian missionary institutes’ (Cimi), which is something else and which will not take part in the Abruzzo conference; more generally, the title of this meeting suggests that the entire missionary world wants to participate and share its positive perspective with respect to the Mattei Plan, when this is not the case”.

“We don’t share the approach towards Africa.” The religious add: “The central question, however, goes beyond titles and words but points straight to the heart of the Mattei Plan and its approach towards Africa, which we do not feel like sharing, given its lack of prospects and listening to the true needs of the continent”. Cimi concludes: “We will always be ready to discuss sustainable development in Africa and to provide our point of view, sharing our long experience in the field; however, we prefer to do so in other forums, less tied to the promoters of the plan and therefore more inclined to produce free and constructive reflections”.