“Karibu!” Mercy is the smiling ferrywoman in the tricolor valley of Nairobi. An unexpected enclave. Yes, welcome. Behind the stand at the entrance, you can see the human swarming. There will be the delivery of diplomas to about thirty young Kenyans, trained to grow their companies by E4Impact, a foundation born at the Catholic University. But the new wing of this center for entrepreneurship will also be inaugurated. “Where the Kenyan innovators meet the best of Italian business”: the motto stands out everywhere. And it is personified by Mario Molteni: managing director of the foundation, enlightened economist at the Milanese university.
Classrooms and offices are in a lush neighborhood near the National Park, that of the unforgettable safari for tourists. On the edge of the road, among the wild vegetation, civilized monkeys, banana sellers, tireless walkers emerge. “It is not an Italian project transferred to Africa,” says Molteni before the ceremony, between one handshakes and another. “It took shape in Kenya, collaborating with local institutions. And then it spread to a large part of the continent.” The foundation now has eight offices, but works in 20 countries. In recent years, it has helped at least two thousand small companies grow.
The first seed was planted in 2010, with a master’s degree for aspiring entrepreneurs. “So, they suggest Nairobi, the beating heart of East Africa,” recalls Molteni. “Five years later, E4Impact was born. And in 2018, the first accelerator in Kenya that promotes entrepreneurship was launched.” Among the foundation’s members, there are now some of the largest Italian companies: Eni, Intesa Sanpaolo, Webuild, Mapei. In addition to Cattolica, of course. The new rector, Elena Beccalli, vice president of E4Impact, has already announced a complementary “Africa Plan”: “We must contribute to the development of these countries. And we can achieve better results if the knowledge we cultivate is broad and integrated.” The last organization to join was Coldiretti, to teach the Italian agri-food model.
Nairobi is huge. A metropolis of six million inhabitants. In recent years, thanks to money lent by the Chinese, roads and ring roads have been built. There is the Kibera slum, the largest shanty town in Africa, where a third of the inhabitants live. And the hypermodern skyscrapers that surround the business area. Luxurious Range Rovers driven by businessmen overtake battered minibuses that are only slightly larger, their heads sticking out of the windows hungry for air. Nairobi has everything. But also nothing. It is the capital of sub-Saharan Africa. The GDP is galloping at five percent. The average age is twenty, with frightening demographic growth rates. Either we help them, finding mutual benefits. Or we succumb, overwhelmed by the unstoppable.
Italy knows it well. The Mattei Plan, between financial bills to be refined and ministerial bed warmers, now becomes Giorgia Meloni’s big gamble. It is borrowed from the intentions of the founder of Eni: to build human, social and economic bridges. The prime minister has managed to make the program become “one of the three pillars of the G7 strategy for Africa”. One of the tricolor outposts, in this immense city, is Aics: the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The offices are in the embassy district, among trendy restaurants and paddle clubs. “Kenya has a great entrepreneurial ferment. And we want to help unlock the enormous potential of this country, with which our government has signed a multi-year agreement. The cornerstones are three: stability, growth and prosperity” explains Giovanni Grandi, the director of Aics in Nairobi, “now the emerging capital of Africa for dynamism”. The agency also finances the foundation, including the latest expansion of the E4Impact headquarters: “When they told me about an accelerator, I was skeptical” recalls Grandi. “I said: ‘We close them everywhere, why should it work here?’. Instead, it was a success: the beginning of the day”. Aics also offers a dowry to the most deserving small businesses. And it has launched two projects: one to create sustainable fashion, the other to relaunch the production of gourmet coffee in the country.
The stands of the tricolor valley, meanwhile, are teeming with curious onlookers. In March 2023, during his institutional trip to Kenya, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, also passed through here. At her side was Letizia Moratti: former mayor of Milan and Minister of Education, now MEP for Forza Italia. A highly decorated politician and manager, she is the president of the foundation, which she promoted in 2015: «Mattarella’s visit was a source of pride. It confirmed our foresight. We are precursors. The government has now put Africa at the center of its international policy, with a method that we have always adopted. In short, without having planned it, we found ourselves at the center of this great project. This is the university of the Mattei plan, which we are already helping to implement».
Moratti announces E4Impact’s latest mission: «A complex program to promote a labour migration dignified, which will bring together young Africans with Italian companies looking for qualified workers. We will also dedicate ourselves to professional and linguistic training, to promote their integration”. But there are already those who exemplify the intent. Etiba is another company that has grown thanks to the help of the foundation. It develops technologies for home healthcare services. It has just signed an agreement with an Italian company. “And now we are training staff who will work in your country” explains the founder Loise Ngugi, 36, beaming, emerging from her stall.
The Italian ambassador to Nairobi, Roberto Natali, also arrives at the E4Impact headquarters. He is the one who cuts the ribbon in front of the new classrooms of the center. And it is always the diplomat who explains to us: «Half the population here is under 18. In a few years, millions of young people will enter the job market. And if they don’t find it, what do they do? They emigrate, commit crimes or die of hunger. Focusing on development, therefore, is fundamental». The ambassador adds: «The government has launched the Mattei Plan, which underlies a very shared philosophy: “Not in Kenya, but with Kenya”. We want to identify their priorities together. And training is the most important thing. It is not about feeding, but teaching how to do». Pauline Otila, for example. A very elegant 36-year-old, tall, sober suit and whimsical twelve-inch heels. Years ago she received a 50 thousand euro loan from E4Impact. Now her company has become the largest honey producer in the country. In the warehouse in Embakasi, in the neighborhood near Nairobi airport, she shows a varied range of products, including beauty creams. Paulina is volcanic: “See? We don’t need money, but teachings. Without the foundation, I would never have gotten here.”
This is the meaning of the Melonian Mattei Plan. The future passes through Africa. The GDP has doubled in the last three decades. It has great natural resources. An enormous potential for renewables. The government will invest 5.5 billion, to benefit trade with the continent. In 2013 there was only one office of the Institute for Foreign Trade. Now there are eight, including Nairobi. The latest census is detailed: there are over 1,800 Italian companies in Africa. Energy, construction, transport, logistics, mechanics. The unrivaled trailblazer, obviously, is Eni. The case of Kenya becomes emblematic. Until a few years ago, it seemed of little interest for energy supplies. Then, comes the intuition of the CEO, Claudio Descalzi: longer in command than Mattei and with the same approach as the man the BBC called “the most famous Italian after Julius Caesar”. From the agreement with the former president, Uhuru Kenyatta, one of the most ambitious bets is born. It is entrusted to Enrico Tavolini, general manager of Eni Kenya: «This country has an important agricultural tradition» he informs. «Furthermore, most of the areas are arid and semi-arid. This creates an enormous availability of land where we can develop our project, which is not in competition with the food supply chain». It starts in 2021: «To produce vegetable oil, destined for biofuels» Tavolini summarizes. This is the cause that the government is advocating in Brussels. «It is a fundamental investment for the decarbonization of air, sea and road transport. So much so that it has been replicated in other African countries» explains the manager in his office in Nairobi, in the Gigiri neighborhood, surrounded by the pristine Karura forest.
Eni collaborates with over 80 thousand farmers, spread across fifteen counties. But, as Meloni announces, the aim is to involve over 400 thousand farmers in the coming years. The collected seeds are then taken to the two extraction plants, in Makueni and Bonje. Finally, the vegetable oil is transported by ship to the biorefinery in Gela, Sicily. A year ago, the first program for agriculture was launched by Joule, Eni’s school for business: “Kenya is a strategic country, economically vibrant, with a high rate of companies created by young women. It has good universities and talents to enhance. It is becoming a model for the entire sub-Saharan area” analyzes Mattia Voltaggio, head of Joule. “Our agrihubs supply chain is very extensive. And we try to grow companies that can then collaborate with us”. Like Proteen, which transforms waste into fertilizers. Or FarmIT, which increases crop yields with artificial intelligence. “The initiative is being repeated this year, again with E4Impact” adds Voltaggio. “We have launched a program to strengthen the ecosystem and reinforce the supply chain. Over two hundred applications have arrived. In the end, we selected the ten best ideas. Including Agriflex: supports producers by selling seeds at affordable prices through local dealers. And Mukurweini oil: helps farmers with innovative technologies.
Meanwhile, the tireless Molteni continues to ply the very busy streets of Nairobi. You can stand still at a crossroads for half an hour. On the day of the celebrations for the new graduates and the inauguration of the new classrooms, he receives a phone call. A delegation from the Ugandan government is arriving. They want to visit some companies that recycle waste supported by the foundation. The next day, the professor rushes off. He takes them to the warehouse of Pura terra recycling, born from a joint venture with the Brescia-based Montello. Or Bottle logistic, which has become a leader in glass recovery under the guidance of 34-year-old Louisa Gathecha. Yes, another young entrepreneur. Because here you have to invent the work. As even the Holy Sisters did, missionary nuns who transformed their spartan building into a “boutique guest house” for tourists, academics, students and religious people. Even the modest Molteni stays here, during the long periods he spends in Nairobi. The foundation is a few minutes’ drive away. The professor leaves at dawn and returns at dusk. Just in time for the hot soup, served by the bubbly Sister Pauline: “Every night different, but always amazing.” Holy sister’s soup. Delicious. Almost, you could launch another startup. n
