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8/29/24, 4:39 PM The UAE can act as a catalyst to harness the promise of Africa | The National
airlines flies to 22 African cities and that direct connectivity is crucial to opening up

business networks, investments and tourism.

People might see these investments as high risk. We believe it’s entirely the opposite.

While there is not “one Africa”, this is very much a continent that is brimming with
optimism, where forward-thinking governments are developing the policies and

ecosystems that will deliver the opportunities their people crave. This is a continent whose

population is set to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, with a growing middle class that will unlock

$3 trillion in consumer spending by 2030. Africa has two thirds of the world’s arable land

and an abundance of raw materials – copper, lithium and cobalt – that are essential to

energy transition objectives. One of the biggest risks for the UAE lies in not investing

enough in Africa.

The same conviction is behind the expansion of our Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement programme into Africa. A few weeks ago, we signed a CEPA with the island

nation of Mauritius, which will accelerate bilateral, non-oil trade by removing tariffs,

enhancing market access to services, aligning customs procedures and creating new

pathways for investments and small and medium enterprise collaborations. It follows the

agreement of Cepa terms with Congo-Brazzaville and Kenya, which promise productive

partnerships in energy, food security and mining.

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