UAE-Africa: Building a shared future through partnership and investment

Abu Dhabi: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is an important international gathering, providing an opportunity for nations to strengthen cooperation on shared priorities. The test for leaders in New York is whether that cooperation can deliver tangible results.

For Africa and its partners, the stakes are significant. The continent’s expanding markets, industries, young population and infrastructure ambitions are among the defining global opportunities of this century. Africa has its own vision for the future, and the UAE seeks to be a long-term partner in advancing that vision, working together to achieve shared economic growth and sustainable prosperity.

Deeper connections between Africa and the UAE can create opportunities: linking markets, building regional industries, expanding infrastructure, lowering trade barriers and enabling businesses to compete globally. Together, the UAE and its African partners can turn shared ambition into lasting growth and prosperity.

Africa is playing an increasingly important role in the UAE’s own economic diversification journey. With nine Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) signed with African countries, alongside growing trade and investment flows, cooperation is expanding across infrastructure, energy, logistics, innovation, services and market access.

African economies bring scale, talent, urbanisation and fast-growing consumer markets. The UAE offers capital, connectivity, delivery capacity and access to global trade and investment networks. For both sides, the opportunity lies in turning complementary strengths into practical outcomes.

Today, more than 200 nationalities live and work in the UAE, including a large diaspora from African countries, contributing to a dynamic, globally connected and diversified economy, and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a destination for talent, innovation and enterprise.

Across the continent, that approach is visible in projects designed to create lasting economic value.
In Senegal, DP World has invested in port capacity and trade infrastructure, including the Port of Ndayane and the Dakar Container Terminal.

In Togo, AMEA Power developed the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Solar Plant, supporting renewable electricity access.

In the Central African Republic, Global South Utilities developed the Sakaï solar project, a 50MW facility with battery storage that expands electricity generation capacity and improves access to reliable, clean power.

In the Union of the Comoros, UAE-financed solar plants across the country’s three main islands combine approximately 20MW of solar capacity with battery storage and transmission infrastructure, strengthening energy security and supporting more reliable electricity access.

In Kenya, DP World and GulfCap Africa are developing the 222-hectare Mombasa Industrial Park, a special economic zone intended to attract investment, expand local manufacturing and strengthen connections to regional and international markets.

In Angola and the Republic of the Congo, AD Ports Group is investing in ports and logistics infrastructure that expands trade capacity and connects African economies to global markets.

In Zambia, IRH’s investment in Mopani Copper Mines is aimed at supporting the revival of production, employment stability and local value creation, while maintaining a significant Zambian ownership stake.

Together, these projects form part of a wider UAE portfolio across Africa focused on infrastructure, energy, trade, logistics, food security and industrial capacity.

Our investments are measured not only in financial terms, but in the sustainable opportunities they create: more efficient infrastructure, cleaner energy, new jobs, stronger local industries, and the skills and technology that underpin lasting growth.

Clean energy partnerships demonstrate how this practical approach can support long-term opportunity.

These include Masdar’s USD 10 billion clean energy programme and the Etihad 7 platform, which aims to expand access to clean electricity for up to 100 million people by 2035.

The scale of this engagement is reflected in more than USD 110 billion committed to projects across Africa from 2019 to 2023, including around USD 70 billion in renewable and green sectors. In November 2025, the UAE also announced its USD 1 billion AI for Development initiative to support digital transformation.

True partnership means working with African partners, aligning investment with national development agendas, and bringing together capital and expertise to create opportunities that benefit both sides.

This approach is reflected in our growing commercial ties. UAE non-oil trade with Sub-Saharan Africa reached more than USD 126 billion in 2025, up 45% from the previous year, while more than 30,000 African companies have established a presence in the UAE. The UAE’s expanding network of CEPAs is designed to build on this momentum by reducing trade barriers and widening market access.

The same long-term commitment is evident in development efforts. From 2023 to 2024, the UAE provided more than USD 1 billion in foreign assistance to Africa. Launched in 2024, the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is addressing the global challenge of water scarcity through innovative solutions and technologies. The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted with Senegal and taking place in Abu Dhabi this December, will help accelerate action on Sustainable Development Goal 6, and provide further opportunities for cooperation with African partners to address shared development priorities.

Energy, water, food, trade, and humanitarian needs are closely connected, and recent instability in the Strait of Hormuz has shown how quickly disruption can spread. For African economies, where agriculture accounts for almost half of total employment, such shocks can quickly raise food, fuel and fertiliser costs, squeezing farmers, businesses and households alike.

Africa’s priorities should be central to the global conversation at this year’s UNGA. Food security, energy access, water resilience, trade stability, infrastructure and development finance are shared global challenges.

At UNGA, the UAE will work with African partners to identify shared priorities and advance practical solutions that benefit both sides.

By working together to address these challenges, we can strengthen energy security, expand water access, unlock investment and support sustainable growth.

The UAE works with African governments and businesses to identify shared priorities and deliver practical solutions that support sustainable growth and prosperity for future generations. This is a partnership built on cooperation and mutual benefit delivering lasting prosperity for our peoples.

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Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan is the Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs