Before heading to Ghana, Italian President Sergio Mattarella was in Ivory Coast on Wednesday, where he met with his counterpart Alassane Ouattara. Cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy and migration issues was on the agenda for this visit.
"We have collaboration in the energy sector with our respective companies, Eni and Petroci, which have discovered two significant oil and gas fields, making Ivory Coast a player in this field," the Italian president said during a press briefing in Abidjan.
The Italian giant Eni, in partnership with the Ivorian company Petroci, began producing oil and natural gas from the "Baleine" field at the end of August, with production potentially reaching 150,000 barrels/day of oil and 200 million cubic feet/day of gas.
Last month, Eni's CEO Claudio Descalzi announced the discovery of a new field, named "Calao," with a potential of 1 to 1.5 billion barrels of oil.
Mattarella, whose role is mainly ceremonial, is set to visit the pumping station activities of the "Baleine" field on Thursday.
Illegal immigration issues were also discussed by the two presidents during their meeting on Wednesday morning.
"I reaffirmed to you Ivory Coast's readiness to work towards combating irregular migration towards Italy," Ouattara stated.
In early 2023, Ivorians were the second most represented nationality among Sub-Saharan nationals arriving in Italy, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
At the end of January, Italy hosted a summit for Africa to present a 5.5 billion euros aid plan to the continent, proposed by the far-right government leader Giorgia Meloni, in exchange for increased cooperation on migration.
The island of Lampedusa, located about 145 km off the Tunisian coast, is one of the main arrival points for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
"We are convinced of a partnership that must be equal and based on mutual respect," Mattarella said on Wednesday.
The two presidents also discussed the situation in the Sahel, where countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger face recurrent jihadist violence and are governed by military regimes that came to power through coups.
"We expressed our mutual concern regarding the worsening political and security situation in the Sahel," lamented the Italian president.
Mattarella is set to leave Ivory Coast on Thursday to head to neighboring Ghana.
