Dubai ruler meets African billionaires, courts deeper ties

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum met Saturday with a delegation of African business and philanthropic leaders, underscoring the UAE’s push to deepen investment and development ties with the continent.

The meeting, held at the Address Creek Harbour Hotel, was attended by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s first deputy ruler and the UAE’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, according to Al Etihad.

The African delegation brought together private-sector and charity leaders from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Egypt, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, Johann Rupert, Naguib Sawiris, Strive Masiyiwa, Mohammed Dewji and Tony Elumelu were among the African business leaders at the event. The group represents sectors including energy, digital infrastructure, logistics, agriculture and food systems — industries central to jobs, trade and economic resilience in fast-growing African economies.

Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE and Dubai see Africa as a key partner for building more resilient and inclusive growth. He pointed to historical and human links and said collaboration can strengthen innovation as well as energy and food security.

Senior UAE officials joined the talks, including Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Emirates Airline and Dubai Airports, Cabinet Affairs Minister Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, DP World chief Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, and Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

Officials discussed expanding joint investments and creating new frameworks for cooperation in conventional and renewable energy, supply chains and transport, and agriculture. They also explored how community and philanthropic initiatives might increase the developmental impact of commercial projects.

The meeting comes amid growing momentum in UAE-Africa relations. The UAE has emerged as one of Africa’s most active foreign state investors, with more than $110 billion committed to new projects from 2019 to 2023, including over $70 billion directed toward renewable energy and green infrastructure, Al Etihad reported. It also cited a $1 billion “AI for Development” initiative aimed at supporting artificial intelligence applications in education, agriculture and infrastructure.

Africa’s private sector has increasingly paired big capital with social impact, a trend that aligns with the UAE’s pitch for blended public, private and philanthropic partnerships. The continent’s best-known business philanthropists include Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu, Zimbabwe’s Strive Masiyiwa, Tanzania’s Mohammed Dewji and Nigeria’s Tony Elumelu, whose foundations have supported entrepreneurship, health and education.

The delegation’s UAE program includes further meetings with government leaders, investment institutions and philanthropic organizations to explore regulatory enablers, long-term co-investment opportunities and new partnership models.