The United Arab Emirates is deepening its commercial ties with Africa as trade and investment expand across energy, infrastructure, logistics, technology and other sectors.
UAE Presidential Adviser Anwar Gargash said on September 20 that annual trade between the UAE and Africa has exceeded $107 billion, while Emirati investments across the continent were approaching $150 billion. He described the figures as part of the UAE’s strategy of building direct partnerships with African countries.
More recent UAE data provide a different measure of the trade relationship. Non-oil trade between the UAE and Africa reached about $158 billion in 2025, up 41.6% from 2024, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade. Africa’s share of the UAE’s total non-oil trade also rose to 15.5% in 2025, compared with 10.8% in 2019.
The investment figures also vary by period and source. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Emirati investments in Africa totaled about $144 billion between 2020 and 2024. WAM has separately reported more than $110 billion committed to African projects between 2019 and 2023, including about $70 billion directed to renewable and green sectors.
UAE involvement spans a broad range of sectors, including infrastructure and logistics, energy and renewables, technology, tourism and financial services. Emirati companies and investment entities have developed projects across multiple African markets, while Abu Dhabi has sought to build direct commercial relationships with governments and businesses on the continent.
Trade ties have also deepened through the UAE’s network of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements. In February 2026, the UAE and Gabon signed a CEPA covering trade and investment, with agriculture, logistics, mining and renewable energy among the areas identified for cooperation.
The UAE is also broadening commercial ties with individual African markets. In 2025, non-oil trade with Senegal reached about $1.3 billion, while trade with Gabon stood at $320.6 million. UAE officials have identified mining, renewable energy, infrastructure, food security and logistics as areas for deeper cooperation with African partners.
The growing trade and investment relationship has broadened the UAE’s commercial presence across African markets. For African economies, it creates additional channels for capital, infrastructure investment and trade, while the UAE is strengthening its links with markets across the continent.
