Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered a fiery address at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, warning against what she called a “debt trap” strangling African economies and fuelling migration. Speaking to African leaders, she urged an end to the exploitation of Africa through onerous loans and unfair financial structures, pitching Italy’s Mattei Plan as an alternative based on investment, debt conversion and climate‑shock suspension. Meloni framed Africa as a strategic partner rather than a resource pool, calling for a new era of cooperation that lets African nations control their own development path.