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Reshaping Italy’s development cooperation? Continuity and innovation in the Mattei Plan’s health pillar

Launched by Italy in 2024, the Mattei Plan represents a flagship initiative aimed at fostering a renewed partnership with Africa. Among its six pillars, the health pillar prioritizes stronger health systems and improved access to primary care. This article examines whether the Plan’s health pillar reflects a genuine shift in Italian development cooperation or rather a rebranding of existing approaches. Drawing on official documents, secondary literature, and eleven expert interviews, the article argues that the health pillar combines elements of continuity with limited innovation. While it relies on established Italian NGOs and the scaling up of pre-existing initiatives, it also introduces new instruments such as telemedicine and places a stronger emphasis on public-private engagement. However, unlike the other pillars of the Plan, private-sector partnerships remain significantly limited in the health pillar. Despite persistent weaknesses in transparency and implementation criteria, the health pillar may still offer Italy an opportunity to strengthen its role not so much as a major bilateral donor, but rather as a multilateral catalyst among different stakeholders.