UAE Commits $110 Billion to African Infrastructure and Energy

The Government of the United Arab Emirates has expanded its strategic economic and developmental partnerships across Africa, committing more than $110 billion to regional projects between 2019 and 2023. Approximately $70 billion of this funding is dedicated to renewable and green sectors, including a $10 billion clean energy programme led by Masdar and the Etihad 7 platform, which targets providing clean electricity to 100 million people by 2035.

Commercial activity has scaled rapidly, with non-oil trade between the UAE and Sub-Saharan Africa surpassing $126 billion in 2025. To formalize these ties, the UAE signed nine Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with African nations and launched a $1 billion AI for Development initiative in November 2025.

Infrastructure investments include port capacity expansions in Senegal by DP World's Shipping Solutions, the development of the Mombasa Industrial Park in Kenya, and logistics projects in Angola and the Republic of the Congo via AD Ports Group. Energy projects include the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Solar Plant in Togo and the 50MW Sakaï solar project in the Central African Republic. The UAE will co-host the 2026 UN Water Conference with Senegal in Abu Dhabi this December to address water scarcity.