The opening day of the Mozambique-Italy Business Mission, focused on infrastructure and construction, closed with the signing of a Declaration of Intent for a Green Cities project under the Mattei Plan, Rome’s flagship framework for structured, investment-led partnership with the continent. Organised by the Italian embassy in Maputo, the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian-Mozambican Chamber of Commerce, the mission targets precisely the sectors — logistics, energy and urban development — where Gulf players have spent the past decade building their own positions.
Familiar territory for Gulf investors
For readers in the GCC, the approach will look familiar. Emirati logistics group DP World operates ports and trade corridors across Africa, while Abu Dhabi’s Masdar has backed renewable capacity from North Africa southwards. Italy is now chasing the same opportunity set through state-linked vehicles — ICE, SACE, SIMEST and CDP — that closely mirror the sovereign-backed model Gulf institutions have long used to enter frontier markets. Ambassador Gabriele Annis framed the visit as Italy returning as a protagonist in Mozambique.
The deals on the table
Three panels structured the day. The first examined logistics corridors with Mozambique’s rail and ports operator alongside the World Bank; the second weighed energy infrastructure with the African Development Bank and ENI; the third addressed public works and urban regeneration. The Mattei Plan Mozambique agenda leans heavily on renewables, oil and gas and critical minerals — the very assets now drawing Gulf sovereign wealth deeper into African energy and mining.
Ambassador Annis and Minister Albino present the Green Cities program declaration, signed as part of the Mattei PlanWhy it matters for the Gulf
The Green Cities accord, co-signed by Mozambique’s agriculture and environment minister and Ambassador Annis, opens the way for sustainable urban-regeneration work in the provincial capitals of Pemba and Chimoio. The mission closes on 9 June with bilateral meetings and Italian participation in a Business Forum hosted by the European Union under its Global Gateway programme — a sign that Europe is co-ordinating, not fragmenting, its infrastructure push in Africa. For Gulf investors weighing their next move on the continent, Italy’s arrival points to sharper competition, and possible co-investment, in the years ahead.
