Local development: a priority for Eni

Project development may require the acquisition and/or use of land (or water) and the subsequent economic displacement. It is therefore necessary to minimise the socio-economic impacts by limiting as much as possible the loss of assets or the loss of access to assets, which generates the loss of sources of income or livelihood resources.

Local Content is a tool that supports communication with local authorities and provides a useful assessment to guide investment decisions to promote local development. It represents the added value brought to the countries through three lines of intervention:

• transfer of skills and knowledge
• activation of local economic sectors in the supply chain 
• interventions to foster the growth and diversification of the local economy. 

We track and examine all requests received from our stakeholders to implement sustainable development initiatives shared with local communities. Key elements of the process are openness to dialogue and listening, inclusiveness, understanding the views and expectations of those involved, and sharing choices. 

The initiatives deployed by Eni cover six areas of intervention:

• Access to energy: to promote the installation of self-sufficient, off-grid systems that allow communities access to basic services and contribute to local socio-economic development

• Land preservation: to enhance and protect the local natural heritage, including with activities to support waste management in communities, and to restore the ecosystem, with remediation activities focused on recovering native vegetation

• Economic diversification: to foster food safety, the development of entrepreneurial, agricultural, fishing and infrastructural activities, in a long-term perspective, facilitating the creation of new job opportunities for people and businesses, women and youth empowerment

• Access to water and sanitation: to ensure the availability, the sustainable management of water and sanitation services for the local population

• Education: to promote equitable and inclusive access to quality education and learning

• Community Health: to promote access to health and combat the spread of diseases through prevention and treatment.

In 2022 we completed the project initiated by Eni and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan to bring solar power and other energy efficiency measures to a secondary school in Turkistan for the benefit of 1,900 students. 

In Mexico, we collaborate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) through a Memorandum of Understanding. The first results of this agreement include a technical and socio-cultural feasibility study of the Water Security Plan for the Mezcalapa-Samaria Sub-basin.  The objective is to reduce the risk of natural disasters and to plan activities related to sustainable tourism management as an opportunity for economic diversification of the areas where our operations are located, particularly the restoration of the La Venta Park-Museum in Villahermosa.

We work with AVSI and the Tabasco State Government to support the training and education of teachers and students. Activities include the upgrading of schools, the distribution of school materials for primary schools, skills development through courses and workshops, and the involvement of local communities in educational activities.

In the area of access to energy, we are working in Kenya to install organic photovoltaic panels (OPV) in schools and other community facilities. In communities in the Pemba area, we are working to improve the efficiency of woodfuel use to reduce the impact on natural resources by promoting improved cookstoves. In the Abidjan district and South Comoé region of Côte d'Ivoire, we are helping to improve access to education and quality learning in primary schools through teacher training programmes and remedial classes for students.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the State of Tabasco, we are working to improve nutrition and maternal and child health in the municipality of Cardenas by strengthening health services and access.

We contribute to community health and to promoting quality primary and emergency healthcare services in the Governorate of Port Said, Egypt, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population and the General Authority of Healthcare. We have supplied hospitals with medical equipment to support cardiology, urology, neurology and gynaecology services, carried out health training activities, initiated activities to establish a training centre of excellence for health personnel, and conducted awareness-raising campaigns on communicable diseases in primary schools.

In the context of projects to promote education in Italy, the creation of the Agricultural Experimentation and Training Centre (CASF) for the community of Lucania promotes more sustainable and profitable agriculture, while enhancing marginal areas. The dual objective is to develop agricultural experimentation initiatives and to provide professional training and dissemination activities. The centre acts as a crossroads between the production system, training and research, promoting the transfer of technology, good practices and agricultural innovations. In addition to experimental tests in the field of Agriculture 4.0, the project also involves local start-ups and includes training for operators and students from technical institutes on agronomic issues, as well as the organization of school tours for primary and secondary schools.

With the aim of supporting the recovery and distribution of food surpluses to combat waste and help the most vulnerable families, we work to contribute to the cost of transporting food from the Banco Alimentare della Sicilia's [Sicily’s food bank] hub in Catania to charitable organisations in Gela, while also working to optimise logistics and establish strategic agreements with operators in the sector.

To promote access to water, the agricultural project in the governorates of Matrouh and South Sinai, Egypt, is helping to increase the resilience of rural communities to desertification in the Seventh Community and Wadi Mukattab. We are helping to improve access to water by installing water supply systems for agricultural and domestic use, providing better sanitation, and training livestock breeders and farmers to increase the productivity of their economic activities.

In 2024, through Eni Natural Energies Sucursal em Angola, we launched the Clean Cooking program in Angola. Free stove distribution in communities is organised by Don Bosco and Doctors with Africa CUAMM. The programme has fostered the creation of workshops dedicated to the production of improved stoves at Don Bosco’s vocational training centres in Luanda and Benguela, and has aided in the development of entrepreneurship and technical skills, creating specialised job opportunities. The initiative also includes scholarships leading to jobs in the field of environment and renewable energies, and awareness campaigns on nutrition and basic hygiene to strengthen both local health services and the educational system.

From 2019 we will implement a programme of technical and vocational training in collaboration with the Cabo Delgado Provincial Directorate for Science and Technology, Higher Vocational and Technical Education, Don Bosco High School and the Colleges and Institutes of Canada. The aim is to support the improvement of young people’s technical skills by providing assistance to the Industrial and Commercial Institute of Pemba (IICP). We have contributed to the training and certification of teachers and managers of the IICP, provided industrial equipment, instrumentation and built a laboratory. We also provide scholarships and professional courses.

With this university, we have developed different methodologies to measure the impacts generated on the territory, assessing the economic value brought by our presence and analysing the social benefits created. The methodologies are defined in accordance with metrics already used by international bodies and validated by research and academic institutions. The main tools that have been developed are theEni Local Content Evaluation (ELCE) Model and the Eni Impact Tool. To date, the ELCE model has been applied to the following projects: CCS Ravenna Phase 1 Congo LNG and Baleine projects in Côte d'Ivoire, OCTP in Ghana, East Hub, West Hub, Quiluma & Maboqueiro in Angola, Zohr in Egypt, Coral South in Mozambique, Area 1 in Mexico, as well as to the Italian operating sites of Ravenna, Sannazzaro de' Burgondi and Val d'Agri. The Eni Impact Tool has been applied to energy access projects in the Republic of Congo (Centrale Électrique du Congo) and in some communities in the Niger Delta.

We collaborate with the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Milan on different projects and with multiple applications in the field. In the Republic of Congo, we are working to develop agro-livestock initiatives and support the activities of the Centre d'Appui Technique et Ressources Professionnelles (CATREP).