ABSTRACT
A new cooperation model between Africa and Europe is badly needed but will be only possible starting from the shared centrality of today’s energy dilemma: Ensuring universal well-being while saving the environment from emissions and the impact of human activities. Such a strategic jump needs the shift from a short-term approach predominantly focused on near term profits to long-term planning which gets the most of local communities, specificities, and the local entrepreneurial culture. Eni, historically the first IOC to implement a cooperation model based on continuous interactions with local communities and institutions, has been recently leading some of the most complex and innovative projects in cooperation with national and international institutions to increase Africa’s access to energy and, at the same time, support the continent’s path to decarbonization. A development model based on multistakeholder public-private partnerships may indeed be pivotal in Africa’s growth, where the private sector has the financial and technical tools and the public is crucial to provide guarantees to investments, assess the impact of the initiatives, and strengthen and support the capacities of the local communities.
