What emerged from the international congress promoted by the Congo embassy in Italy and entitled "The opportunity of forest of Republic of the Congo for the development of the Mattei plan“. A congress that wanted to represent the opportunities for international cooperation in a territorial reality waiting to be discovered and which occupies two thirds of the country's surface area. It is no coincidence that Congo has one of the lowest population densities in Africa, although similarly to neighboring countries it sees a young population, half of whom are under the age of 18. A country of small size but which has the GDP anchored to the oil sector, which represents 80% of its exports, being the third largest producer in the sub-Saharan area. And a thriving agriculture, also thanks to the intensive use of the female workforce, not to mention a thriving and not fully exploited wealth of mineral resources.
The economic situation has benefited from expensive oil, but not sufficiently, by financing internal policies aimed at a strong push dedicated to reducing inequalities between rural areas and cities as well as social differences that remain for women, young people and disabled people in terms of access to electricity, drinking water, education and basic services. Despite an active commitment from President Nguesso's government, youth unemployment still remains one of the most important challenges, remaining above 40 percent.
For this reason the visit of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in China, the first creditor in the world, as well as the first commercial partner of Africa, becomes an important field of comparison for our country given the difference between the Chinese penetration plans in Africa with its personnel transferred locally compared to the Mattei Plan, that is worth over 5,5 billion, and sees the staff training plans aimed precisely at combating youth unemployment by creating solid skills in innovative technologies applied to agriculture and at triggering the conditions for a circular economy in the territories which, from the primary sector to that of services, strengthens the strategy for the use of land and mineral resources in a far-sighted and possibly sustainable perspective.
Congo: the importance of youth training and sustainability
The teacher Laura Mazza, Representative for Institutional Relations of the Republic of Congo and in the Countries of the Mattei Plan, underlined how “i widespread training plans dedicated to young people,green economy , sustainability they will be crucial to create a competent workforce capable of ensuring the successful outcome of projects: capable of giving the country an important contribution to long-term development. The partnership will bring development and peace for all the countries involved, but not only."
Congo and Italy allies in the use of satellites to monitor climate change
Among the authoritative speakers, the intervention of General Luca Baione, of the World Permanent Observatory, was notable Meteorology and Head of the Office for Military Aviation and Meteorology, who offered a far-sighted look into the alliance between Italy and Congo for the use of satellites and the most advanced monitoring techniques on the effects of climate change and the opportunities for optimal use of uncultivated savannah lands. From the monitoring of greenhouse gases to the "early warning" system on flora and water up to research on the preservation of mountain basins, there are many connection points on which Italy can be useful to the Congolese government to preserve the Congo forest basin, which is the second lung for CO2 absorption after the Amazon.
In fact, forests and oceans represent the most important natural storage systems for Co2 with a positive differential of approximately one third of the total emissions emitted in a year for our planet, thus avoiding its accumulation in the atmosphere.
The role of the African Development Bank
Alongside Italy, the strong partnership with African Development Bank who led the talks in Rome during the January and May Summit, and implemented it well 11 projects for over 400 million US dollars on very important sectors such as telecommunications, postal and electronics, including the construction of a data center in the capital Brazzaville. The peculiarity of the project lies in the implementation of a fiber optic network which will increase connections between the country, Cameroon and the Central African Republic and in the fact that it will allow Congo to be the first country to manage its digital sovereignty independently, without having to transit sensitive data from servers outside the country's borders, encouraging piracy IT and risks cybersecurity, whose protection is a priority for the Government.
This meeting, which will be followed by similar in-depth meetings with the 13 countries, sent a clear message to the representatives of the participating countries, summarized as follows by the Congolese Ambassador: "It is possible to start again from the forests, and 'South-South' cooperation is a virtuous formula for a historic friendship that binds Congo to Italy, as well as to Angola. The young Congolese and all of Africa want to make their voices heard because the aspiration for development is strong, exactly as in the European spirit of international cooperation".
On the other hand, the preservation of biodiversity, which recently entered the Italian Constitution, is a vital area for the Congo and not only for the 600 animal species that populate the Congo forest, but for all of humanity. Africa opens its arms to the opportunities offered by the Italian and European commitment also to redeem populations heavily affected by climate disruption and who aspire to strengthen their economies by leaving the subsidization logics of the past, but working hard on the social and environmental impact of the Projects at the center of this rediscovered alliance and far from certain territorial and geopolitical aims, which have always characterized the obstinate action of Russia e China on African territories.
