UAE firms’ $168bn Africa push tests gains

Keypoints:

UAE greenfield announcements reach $168bn
Ports and minerals drive expansion
Local value capture remains decisive

THE value of greenfield investment projects announced by UAE-based companies across Africa since 2017 has reached at least $168bn, underscoring the Gulf state’s rapidly expanding role in the continent’s ports, minerals, logistics and energy sectors.

The scale is striking, but the bigger question for African governments is what remains once the capital is deployed: local ownership, processing capacity, skilled jobs, supplier networks, tax revenue and infrastructure that strengthens domestic economies rather than simply accelerating commodity exports.

Announced capital, not realised cash

The Financial Times, drawing on its fDi Markets database, reported that UAE-based entities had announced at least $168bn in African greenfield projects since 2017. The figure represents announced investment rather than money already spent, and not every project reaches completion.

That distinction matters. The African Development Bank continues to cite annual infrastructure needs of $130bn to $170bn, with a financing gap of as much as $108bn, leaving governments searching for alternative sources of long-term capital.

The UAE has emerged as one of Africa’s most active new sources of investment. Its companies are building ports, logistics corridors and mineral supply chains that connect African resources to global markets.

Ports sit at the centre

DP World’s $1.2bn Ndayane deep-water port in Senegal is expected to become a major new container gateway when completed in 2028. The company said in July that dredging had been completed 13 months ahead of schedule, with more than 1,000 people employed directly on the project.

AD Ports Group is also widening its African footprint. In the Republic of the Congo, it has awarded about $200m in contracts for a new container terminal at Pointe-Noire under a 30-year concession, while expanding across Egypt, Tanzania, Angola and Cameroon.

These projects can cut logistics costs and improve trade. Their wider economic value, however, will depend on whether they also connect African manufacturers, farmers and smaller exporters to domestic and regional markets.

Mopani shows the value-capture test

Zambia offers a clearer test of what African governments can retain from Gulf-backed investment.

UAE-backed International Resources Holding acquired 51 percent of Mopani Copper Mines in 2024, while state investment company ZCCM-IH retained 49 percent.

IRH said 80 percent of Mopani’s 2025 procurement spending was channelled through the Zambian economy. But the breakdown is revealing: $311m went to locally owned Zambian companies, while $374m went to foreign-owned companies registered in Zambia.

That distinction shows why headline local-content percentages do not always tell the full story. Ownership, processing, technology transfer and supplier development matter as much as the amount spent within national borders.

Africa’s bargaining power grows

Africa Briefing has previously documented concerns over the development impact of UAE investment, the rise of Emirati-backed mining projects and the growing influence of UAE companies in African ports.

The latest fDi Markets data offers a broader view of that expansion rather than a direct progression from earlier investment totals, which covered different time periods and categories.

For African governments, the opportunity is clear. Competition among Gulf states, China, Europe and the United States for minerals and trade infrastructure can improve negotiating leverage — but only if contracts secure local processing, domestic procurement, fair taxation, skills transfer and meaningful national participation.

UAE investors have made clear that Africa’s ports, minerals and markets carry growing strategic value. The test now is whether African governments can ensure that a greater share of that value stays at home.

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