Eni’s relationship with Africa is an essential part of its heritage. The continent in which the ‘six-legged dog’ took its first steps beyond Italy, back in 1954, links to the company’s past, present and future. Often referred to as the oldest continent on earth, Africa now has a new and increasingly important strategic role that challenges traditional stereotypes, with 70 per cent of the population aged under 30. But it remains a complex continent. While north Africa is pursuing industrialisation and expanding throughout the industrial value chain, in sub-Saharan Africa hundreds of millions of people still do not have access to electricity – a key factor in improving quality of life and fostering development. 

Africa provides more than half of all Eni’s crude oil and natural gas, making us the leading international producer on the continent. We will continue our expansion by setting up development initiatives with ever-more stakeholders, encouraging continuous and sustainable growth.

‘Our Africa’ incorporates the three cornerstones of our business: our path to decarbonization, our co-operation model and our operating model. In line with the transformation strategy that was introduced in 2014 – based on efficiency, integration and use of new technologies – we want to strengthen and further diversify our portfolio in Africa. We will continue to pursue new exploration and production opportunities and expand our work in renewables, as well as combining our commercial operations with a commitment to uphold the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through local development projects. Our work in Africa is also helping us achieve one of our main objectives: decarbonization. Our conservation projects aim to protect the enormous wealth of forest in these countries and promote sustainable growth in the agricultural sector, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa

Africa has an immense forest heritage that we want to conserve. We are committed to reducing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere, not only by diversifying our business activities, but also by focusing on forestry projects that have a positive impact on communities, in terms of economic and social development. Forests help to develop new businesses and increase employment. Our strategy involves project development for the "Reduction of emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation" (REDD +) through international initiatives and valuable partnerships. We have already made initial agreements by signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of forest projects in partnership with international developers.