In the coming years, migration will involve 3 main areas: Maghreb, which is economically poor, Sahel (Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Sudan) – and the northern part of Nigeria, characterized by the religious troubles of Boko Haram and west coast countries – and finally political refugees from Eritrea and Somalia.

To these countries and these areas, European helps should be sent, through a plan which shouldn’t send random money which could end directly up in governments’ pockets. Therefore, we should implement processes in the Chinese way: infrastructure versus helps, know – how versus money, trade between the two parts. If a country is in need, it is important to stay there, spending money to fulfil the need, using our companies and their manpower.

We cannot sum up a ten-year plan involving dozens of countries just in two lines: we will risk being considered unrealistic. But we can make a reflection and give a piece of advice.

All Europe knows future figures, which make us imagine a nightmarish migration; they also know that there is a political danger, caused by chaotic immigration, and there is the need of a qualified immigration, to fulfil European demographic decrease. The fact that in lots of countries national elections are like game matches based on immigration and inequality are known by all players. Therefore, if these considerations are correct, Europe should consider its relationship with Africa, its migration and its development as one of the most important points of its agenda and invest billions of euros to solve Africa’s problems.

In facts, it should – using a simplistic slogan – “adopt” Africa. It should help it as it was a little child, push it towards a possible and sustainable development, give it a democratic standard and a bigger political awareness; it should bring it up as it was its child, with strictness and justice. Investments and the returns on them will help Africans, creating and improving an economical process which Africans could never achieve on their own.

We should not wait for them to come on our coasts, hoping to stop them. We need to face this intervention not as it was a humanitarian help to poor people, but as the century’s joined investment to make their continent and ours survive. We are too linked not to think about a joint intervention and a kind of continuous mentorship. That is, a kind of adoption.

If Africa isn’t helped in this adult and aware way, the tragedy of demography and unemployment will cause an unbelievable damage to Europe. If Europe keeps on being scared and ridiculously “close”, future will be characterized by those nightmares we have talked about. Those who don’t understand that an “adoption” plan for Africa is one of the priorities – and maybe the first one – are blind and guilty. If Europe, as an organism, doesn’t understand it, Mediterranean countries should be an alarm clock for northern sleepers.

“Africa’s war”, that is this huge and poor continent surviving in a normal way and not in a nightmare, is the human and political challenge of this century, for Europe and maybe for the world. Not facing it with strength and fruitful attitude, will cause it backfiring on us.

The cynical idea “let’s exploit Africa one more time” is not an option anymore.

This is the last time. And Italy is in the first line.