Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, has called for a significant increase in the number of African students pursuing higher education in Italy.
His comments, made during a Catholic business and politics conference in Rimini, have intensified ongoing debates within the ruling coalition over immigration and citizenship policies.
Tajani, a key member of the centre-right Forza Italia party, emphasized the need for Italy to welcome more African students as part of a broader strategy to strengthen ties with African nations. “I believe the number of African students studying in Italy should be significantly increased,” Tajani stated, drawing attention to the country’s potential role in global education.
This stance is aligned with Forza Italia’s push to grant citizenship to foreign minors who have completed a significant portion of their education in Italy. However, this proposal has met with resistance from the far-right coalition partners, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and Matteo Salvini’s League. The two parties have been cautious about policies that could potentially alter Italy’s approach to immigration and citizenship.
Tajani’s remarks were made in the context of promoting the Mattei Plan, an Italian development initiative aimed at supporting African countries. He likened the initiative to a modern-day Marshall Plan, designed to foster economic growth and stability in Africa, similar to how the original Marshall Plan revitalized Europe after World War II.
Currently, Italy lags behind other major European Union countries in attracting foreign students. Data from Italy’s national statistics institute, ISTAT, reveals that the country issued only around 25,000 study permits in 2022, compared to 105,000 in France and 70,000 in Germany. ISTAT attributed this disparity to the limited use of Italian as an international language and the challenges foreign students face in securing employment within Italy.
As debates within Italy’s ruling coalition continue, Tajani’s call for increased African student enrollment highlights a potential shift in Italy’s approach to education and international relations, even as the issue of immigration remains a contentious topic.
