The numbers are striking. UAE–Africa non-oil trade reached $158bn in 2025, up 41.6% from 2024. Africa’s share of the UAE’s total non-oil trade rose to 15.5%, from 10.8% in 2019. That climb took just six years.
The broader context is equally significant. UAE government data show the country’s total non-oil foreign trade hit AED3.8 trillion (roughly $1.03 trillion) in 2025 — growth of more than 26% on the prior year. Africa is now a meaningful slice of that total, not a footnote.
Meanwhile, Financial Times fDi Markets data show UAE-based entities have announced more than $168bn in greenfield projects across Africa since 2017. Those projects span energy, technology, infrastructure, logistics and mining. Much of the capital has yet to be deployed, but the pipeline is deep and the intent is clear.
Ports and concessions anchor the strategy
DP World anchors terminals from West Africa to the Indian Ocean, typically under long-term concessions. One example: a 30-year concession for a new container terminal at Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo. These arrangements give operators long visibility on cargo flows. They also give African governments access to capital and technical upgrades without immediate public expenditure.
DP World’s $1.2bn Ndayane deep-water port project in Senegal illustrates the scale. AD Ports Group holds concessions in Tanzania and Angola. Consequently, African trade routes are being redirected through Gulf hubs with growing regularity.
The UAE reinforces these physical positions with trade agreements. It has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Kenya and is exploring similar frameworks elsewhere on the continent. Those deals cut tariffs, speed customs clearance and widen market access. They also help UAE firms pair trade finance with commodity supply chains.
What does this mean for investors?
Gulf capital is patient and strategic. It targets physical assets — ports, terminals, energy plants — that generate long-term cash flows. For institutional investors, that profile is attractive. The assets are real, the concession periods are long, and the trade volumes underpinning them are rising.
However, concentration risk is present. A small number of operators now control key African gateways. That can influence tariff levels, throughput pricing and the bargaining power of African port authorities over time.
This dynamic sits alongside broader Gulf capital movements, including UAE-linked investments in African energy and Rwanda’s targeted Gulf capital partnerships. The UAE is not simply trading with Africa — it is building the infrastructure through which African trade will flow for decades.
Investors should track new CEPA implementation timelines, fresh port award announcements, and cargo growth data through UAE-linked corridors to gauge how quickly this architecture consolidates.
Quick answers
UAE–Africa non-oil trade reached $158bn in 2025, a rise of 41.6% from 2024, with Africa accounting for 15.5% of the UAE’s total non-oil trade.
UAE-based entities have announced more than $168bn in greenfield projects across Africa since 2017, spanning energy, technology, infrastructure, logistics and mining, according to Financial Times fDi Markets data.
Senegal, Tanzania, Angola and the Republic of the Congo are key hubs, with DP World’s $1.2bn Ndayane project in Senegal and AD Ports Group concessions in Tanzania and Angola among the most prominent deals.
