Page 440 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 1)

10/28/25, 8:44 AM Home | Emirates News Agency

Dubai hosts UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit

Monday, October 27, 2025 10:05 PM6 minutes Reading

DUBAI, 27th October, 2025 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Ministry
of Economy and Tourism hosted the UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025 today in Dubai.

The summit, held under the theme ‘Building Bridges for Sustainable Growth,’ witnessed extensive
participation from over 350 leaders, ministers, senior government officials, decision-makers,

investors, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and 53 African countries.
The summit, held as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS World 2025) and in collaboration
with The Bench, was attended by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and

Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council; Márcio de Jesus Lopes Daniel, Minister of Tourism of
Angola; Amadou Ba, Minister of Culture, Crafts, and Tourism of Senegal; Rodney Sikumba, Minister

of Tourism and Arts of Zambia; Patricia de Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa; Hannatu Musa
Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy of Nigeria; Siandou Fofana,
Minister of Tourism and Leisure of Côte d’Ivoire; José Luís Sá Nogueira, Minister of Tourism and

Transport of Cabo Verde; Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, UN Tourism Secretary-General elect for the
term 2026–2029; Yomna Elbahar, Vice Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt; John Ololtuaa,

Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife of Kenya; Jonathan Worsley, Chairman
and CEO of The Bench; along with a number of senior investors and global chief executives in the
tourism and hospitality sectors at regional and international levels.

In his opening speech at the summit, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said: “Guided by the wise vision of
our leadership - a vision that not only anticipates the future but also actively shapes it and achieves

its milestones - the UAE has positioned tourism as a bridge connecting peoples and cultures around
the world. It has become a key driver for attracting investment and entrepreneurs, strengthening the
growth and competitiveness of the national economy, and a source of pride through its pioneering

achievements across all its verticals, led by national talents who have earned global trust to hold
high-level positions.”

Bin Touq added: “The UAE is an exceptional model for tourism development, marked by qualitative
leaps in its policies and tourism infrastructure, aligned with global best practices. These include the
adoption of pioneering national initiatives and strategies, pumping investments into various tourism

fields, building distinguished tourism projects across the country, in addition to opening new airports,
expanding the airline network in cooperation with strategic partners worldwide, enhancing internal
transport networks, and providing high-quality tourism services. This has all contributed to cementing

the UAE's status as a leading destination in today’s global tourism landscape.”
Summit: A new launchpad for strengthening UAE-Africa economic and tourism partnership

He stated: “The UAE continues to play an active role as a developmental partner for the African
continent through its consistent support for sustainable economic and tourism growth. In this context,

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