As the G7 summit is underway in Sicily's Taormina, Italy, the group's leaders met African heads of state and government on Saturday for talks on the continent's migrant crisis. 

Leaders of Tunisia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Niger, and Nigeria joined the second day of the summit. More than half a million African migrants have landed in Italy since 2014 in search of a better life, with 1,400 brought ashore by rescuers on Friday alone. Italy is keen on helping develop the economies of African nations. 

But Rome's proposals to highlight the positive impact of migration and promote a major initiative on food security were both shot down in pre-summit talks. The administration under U.S. President Donald Trump has been unwilling to play up any benefits of human mobility.