The Mattei Method: Building a New Alliance between Italy, the Gulf Countries, and Africa
The European Emirati Business Council co-organizes an international forum with the Enrico Mattei SED Foundation to foster sustainable cooperation
On October 27, 2025, the historic Teatro Piermarini in Matelica hosted the international conference “The Mattei Method: An Alliance between Italy, the Gulf Countries and Africa for Sustainable Development.”
The initiative, promoted by the Social Economic Development Enrico Mattei Foundation (SED) in partnership with the European Emirati Business Council (EEBC) and under the patronage of the Municipality of Matelica, brought together institutions, business leaders, and delegations from more than twelve African nations and the Arab world.
A legacy that becomes a method
The conference re-examined the legacy of Enrico Mattei, a visionary entrepreneur and statesman who reshaped Italy’s role in the energy sector through a model that united progress and social justice. Today, the “Mattei Method,” relaunched by the SED Foundation, offers a forward-looking framework for cooperation based on equity, enterprise, and energy, placing human development and territorial value at the centre of sustainable growth.
Participants engaged in discussions across four strategic areas — agro-industry, infrastructure and logistics, healthcare and education, and artificial intelligence and fintech. Though diverse, these sectors are interconnected by a shared vision: to create cross-regional partnerships that combine Italian expertise, Gulf innovation, and Africa’s vast potential within a common framework for inclusive and sustainable development.
EEBC’s role and vision
As co-organizer, EEBC reaffirmed its commitment to serving as a strategic bridge between Europe, the UAE, and Africa, fostering a form of economic diplomacy grounded in cooperation, shared values, and knowledge exchange.
For EEBC, The Mattei Method is not merely an event — it represents the beginning of a structured pathway of collaboration. The Council aims to transform the outcomes of the conference into tangible initiatives, encouraging partnerships among institutions, universities, businesses, and start-ups that share a common purpose: promoting equitable, responsible, and sustainable growth.
From vision to action
As Aroldo Curzi Mattei, President of the SED Foundation, stated, “The Mattei Method is not a memory of the past but a tool to build the future.”
This perspective resonates strongly with EEBC’s mission — to move from vision to implementation, translating the principles of the Mattei Model into actionable projects and international collaborations.
Throughout the forum, speakers emphasized the need for a shared language among Italy, the Gulf, and Africa — one that speaks not only of business, but of values, innovation, inclusion, and responsibility.
A laboratory of alliances for the future
Ultimately, The Mattei Method emerged as a genuine laboratory of ideas and alliances. It served as a crossroads where diverse experiences and cultures met, united by a single objective: advancing a model of growth that is economic, social, and sustainable at once.
Through its active involvement, EEBC reinforced its role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and the Arab world — a role centered on building bridges between enterprises, institutions, and local communities.
By embracing and operationalizing the spirit of the Mattei Method, EEBC continues to work toward a long-term vision of shared development, equitable partnerships, and sustainable progress across regions.
