Last week in Turin, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of University and Research and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. The agreement is part of the Mattei Plan, an initiative of the Italian Government aimed at developing equal relations with the African continent and promoting shared development based on knowledge and innovation.
The protocol aims to transform the strategy into concrete actions, combining the role of the public sector with that of philanthropy and research. The main areas of intervention include maternal and child health, agroecological transition, technology transfer, education and digital innovation.
TheCompagnia di San Paolo Foundation already participates in numerous initiatives consistent with the priorities of the Mattei Plan. In eight African countries , it supports CUAMM – Doctors with Africa to improve health and nutrition services; in West Africa collaborates with the JAFOWA program to strengthen food sovereignty and promote sustainable agroecological practices. Educational projects such as Empowering Through Education in the Ivory Coast are integrated with experiences developed in Italy, while energy and ethical artificial intelligence initiatives can create synergies with African centers active in the same field.
The protocol also provides for actions to facilitate access to European funding programs, strengthen the so-called University Third Mission and create strategic infrastructures for training and research. The Foundation has mobilized over 213 million euros in recent years to support the competitiveness of research, the attraction of talent and the transfer of ideas from the laboratory to the market.
The agreement signed last week represents a point of convergence between initiatives already launched and new joint experiments, with the aim of consolidating relations between Europe and Africa and giving substance to the objectives of the Mattei Plan, promoting international cooperation based on knowledge, sustainability and innovation.
