Annual trade between the United Arab Emirates and Africa has surpassed $107 billion, while Emirati investments across the continent are approaching $150 billion, UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said on Sunday.
Gargash described the UAE’s expanding investment, development and humanitarian engagement with Africa as a major success, saying Abu Dhabi had recognised early that the global economic and political landscape was shifting.
“The UAE realised early that the world was changing, and that engagement with Africa and building partnerships with it should not pass through the European and Western gateway,” Gargash said in a post on X.
He said the scale of trade and investment reflected the UAE’s strategy of building direct relationships with African countries rather than relying on traditional Western channels.
The UAE has expanded its economic footprint across Africa in recent years, with Emirati companies and state-linked investors active in sectors including ports and logistics, infrastructure, renewable energy, technology, financial services and food security.
Gargash said the approach formed part of a broader UAE policy aimed at diversifying international partnerships and strengthening direct economic links in a rapidly changing global environment.
Separate reports published on Sunday also carried Gargash’s figures of more than $107 billion in annual UAE-Africa trade and nearly $150 billion in Emirati investments on the continent.
