Photo Credit : WAM
On behalf of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, participated in the 2026 Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, leading a high-level delegation of government officials and business leaders from the UAE.
The annual forum, regarded as one of Africa’s leading economic gatherings, brought together more than 2,800 business executives, investors, and policymakers from around the world to discuss the continent’s economic transformation and investment opportunities.
Addressing the forum, Dr. Al Zeyoudi highlighted Africa’s growing strategic importance within the UAE’s foreign trade and investment agenda, emphasizing the need to strengthen cooperation in logistics, infrastructure, manufacturing, and digital connectivity.
“The potential of Africa is unmatched and represents a central focus for our foreign trade and investment agenda,” Dr. Al Zeyoudi said. He noted that advancing logistics capabilities, physical and digital infrastructure, and manufacturing industries would help create sustainable economic prosperity while enabling African exporters and businesses to play a stronger role in the global economy.
He also stressed the importance of closer government collaboration to encourage private-sector partnerships capable of driving innovation, talent development, and knowledge-sharing across the continent.
During the visit, Dr. Al Zeyoudi held bilateral meetings with several senior African officials, including Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry; Ndaba Gaolathe, Vice President and Minister of Finance of Botswana; and Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
The UAE minister also took part in a strategic roundtable with African business leaders focused on development priorities and efforts to rebalance Africa’s trade relations with global markets.
On the sidelines of the forum, Dr. Al Zeyoudi joined a DP World-hosted discussion examining Africa’s role in global supply chains, where he reaffirmed the UAE’s support for port development, renewable energy projects, and free-zone expansion across several African countries.
The UAE’s economic engagement with Africa has accelerated significantly in recent years. Non-oil trade between the UAE and African nations exceeded US$160.4 billion in 2025, marking a 43.6 percent increase compared to 2024 and nearly doubling trade volumes recorded in 2023.
The UAE has also emerged as Africa’s largest source of new foreign direct investment, with investments surpassing US$110 billion across the continent since 2019.
Recent Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements signed with countries including Mauritius, Angola, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, and Nigeria reflect the UAE’s strategy to deepen economic integration with African markets while supporting trade growth and long-term development initiatives.
