The UAE has become a major economic and strategic force in Africa. Estimates of its exact standing vary by measure. Chatham House puts it as the continent’s fourth-largest foreign direct investor over the past decade, with roughly $59.4 billion invested. Emirati officials cite a separate figure of more than $110 billion committed between 2019 and 2023. They say this places the UAE fourth globally after the US, China and the EU.
Ports have been central to this expansion. Dubai-based DP Gulf State Expands Regional InfluenceWorld has developed projects across the continent as it builds its international port network.
Jean-Loup Samaan, a researcher specialising in the Gulf states at the National University of Singapore, told RFI that the strategy initially came from Dubai. DP World was looking to expand its global network at a time when port infrastructure in Africa was still developing.
That approach later took on a military dimension. According to Samaan, this became particularly clear in the Horn of Africa during the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen, which began in 2015.
The UAE combined commercial investments in ports with military activity. Eritrea and Somaliland became important parts of this strategy. What began as a commercial approach, he added, gradually became political and military.
Gold has also become an important part of the relationship. Dubai is a major hub for African gold. RFI reports that around $30 billion of undeclared artisanal gold from Africa is exported to the UAE each year.
An estimated 20% to 30% of global gold trading passes through Dubai, Samaan said, linking the trade to the UAE’s international position and efforts to diversify Dubai’s economy.
Sudan is another major focus. Its interest there, he said, combines economic interests with support for military actors. The UAE has faced allegations of supporting Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, which Abu Dhabi has denied.
The country’s growing role has drawn criticism. An investigation by the Financial Times recently described the UAE’s strategy in Africa as “imperialist,” a characterisation discussed in the RFI interview.
The UAE’s presence in Africa now extends well beyond investment. Ports, gold and security interests have become closely connected as Abu Dhabi builds deeper relationships across the continent.
