Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.
The Italian government's new energy-driven approach to Africa will help the country bolster its own energy security and position itself as Europe's next natural gas hub. But infrastructural challenges at home and above-ground risks in North Africa will remain obstacles. The Italian government has made a series of high-level, energy-centric visits to the wider Mediterranean region since Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office at the end of 2022. For example, Meloni visited Libya's capital Tripoli on Jan. 27-28 to discuss increased energy and migration cooperation with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of Libya's internationally recognized Government of National Unity. While there, she oversaw the signing of an $8 billion natural gas deal between Italian oil and gas giant Eni and Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC), and other deals for carbon capture and solar energy projects.
