KIGALI, 16th May, 2026 (WAM) — On behalf of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, attended the CEO Forum Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, where he led a UAE delegation comprising government officials and representatives of the nation’s business community.
The Africa CEO Forum is an annual gathering of Africa’s leading business leaders, investors, and policymakers and this edition brought together more than 2,800 participants from around the world to discuss the continent’s economic development.
In his remarks to the forum, Al Zeyoudi emphasised the UAE’s ongoing commitment to Africa’s long-term growth, stating, “The potential of Africa is unmatched and represents a central focus for our foreign trade and investment agenda. By supporting the development of its logistics capabilities, its physical and digital infrastructure, and its manufacturing sector, we can foster broad-based, mutually beneficial economic prosperity – and ensure Africa’s businesses and exporters can participate fully in the global economy. It’s important that governments can work together to facilitate private-sector partnerships that can drive innovation, knowledge-sharing and talent development in the coming decades.”
During the visit to Rwanda, Al Zeyoudi held several important bilateral meetings, notably with Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry; Ndaba Gaolathe, Vice President and Minister of Finance for the Republic of Botswana; and Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment of Nigeria.
Dr Al Zeyoudi also participated in a strategic roundtable discussion with prominent African business leaders that helped to identify the continent’s development objectives, in particular its ambitions to rebalance its foreign trade with the rest of the world. Africa’s role in global supply chains was also the subject of a special DP World event held on the sidelines of the Forum, in which Dr Thani outlined the UAE’s continued support for port expansion, renewable energy production and free-zone development in a number of African nations.
In addition to sharing non-oil trade worth in excess of US$160.4 billion in 2025 – an increase of 43.6% compared to 2024 and nearly double the total in 2023 – the UAE has also become Africa’s largest source of new foreign direct investment (FDI), with more than US$110 billion invested across the continent since 2019.
Recent Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) with Mauritius, Angola, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, and Nigeria embody the UAE’s vision of securing greater economic alignment with African nations, enabling UAE businesses to access high-growth markets and facilitate strategic investments that contribute to the continent’s development.
Source: Emirates News Agency