Dubai, UAE – Non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and non-Arab African countries increased by 12.9% to reach 326.1 billion dirhams during the first nine months of 2025.
In detail.. The data indicated that total imports during the 9 months of 2025 amounted to about 267.9 billion dirhams, non-oil exports 22.6 billion dirhams, and re-exports 35.6 billion dirhams.
New partnership agreements
Since the beginning of this year, the UAE has signed new comprehensive economic partnership agreements with Congo, Sierra Leone, Gabon, and Nigeria in Africa. In addition to signing comprehensive economic partnership agreements in previous years with Angola, Central Africa, Kenya, and Mauritius. This underscores the economic importance of these countries and reflects the country’s commitment to expanding its international economic partnerships and strengthening its trade and investment presence on the African continent.
The UAE is one of the most prominent strategic partners in promoting investments in the African continent. Ranked fourth globally after the United States, China, and the European Union, with total investments exceeding $110 billion between 2019 and 2023. Among them, more than $70 billion is directed to the green, energy and renewable energy sectors.
Last October, on the sidelines of the 2025 UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit, a new investment map was announced to enhance cooperation in the tourism, aviation, logistics, infrastructure, and digital transformation sectors. Which places tourism as a major driving force for sustainable economic development in the UAE and the African continent.
Last November, the UAE announced the launch of the “Artificial Intelligence for Development” initiative, worth one billion dollars.
In August 2024, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism launched its digital platform «the Africa Portal for UAE Investment».
double digit growth
The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade in 2025 amounted to about 3.8 trillion dirhams ($1.03 trillion), a growth of 27% compared to 2024 and an increase of 44.3% compared to 2023.
It also grew by 65% and 97.4% compared to 2022 and 2021, respectively, approaching double the figure recorded in 2021 and exceeding double the figure in 2019.
The UAE’s exports to the 14 partner countries in the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements that entered into force until the end of 2025 amounted to 175.5 billion dirhams, a growth of 18.2%. It contributes 21.6% of total exports to the world in 2025.
