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The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the UAE’s leading diplomatic training centre, in partnership with the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), has launched the UAE – Africa Dialogue. This initiative brings together experts, scholars, diplomats, legislators and policymakers to discuss avenues to enhance the relations between Sub-Saharan African countries and the Gulf region, with a particular focus on the UAE. The discussions cover a wide range of topics, including economic, diplomatic, cultural and security policies.
Held at AGDA on October 28 and 29, the event convenes representatives from prominent think tanks to facilitate the development of innovative strategies aimed at fostering cooperation and investment while also addressing emerging challenges.
The UAE-Africa Dialogue was inaugurated earlier on Monday with keynote speeches from Nickolay Mladenov, Director General of AGDA, Dr Sultan Al-Nuaimi, Director General of ECSSR, and Ambassador Martin Kimani, Executive Director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and Non-Resident Fellow at AGDA.
Nickolay Mladenov, spoke about the importance of holding open discussions driven by mutual interests, saying, “The growing economic partnerships between the UAE and Africa, shaped by geographical proximity and historical ties, are now focused on addressing critical issues such as food security, energy transition and infrastructure development. Hosting the UAE-Africa Dialogue at AGDA is a testament to our academy’s commitment to driving meaningful discussions on how economic diplomacy can make a difference in promoting economic growth in both regions and address the requirements needed to foster sustainable growth in trade and investment between the UAE and Sub-Saharan Africa, including infrastructure projects, humanitarian assistance, cultural development and meeting the essential requirements to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Dr Sultan Al-Nuaimi, said, “The UAE has a history of investing in infrastructure development in African nations, in fields including transportation, energy, agriculture and telecommunications to support sustainable growth, but our relationships go further than trade and investment. Fully aligned with the United Nations’ SDGs, we also focus on helping to alleviate poverty and promote environmental sustainability and provide valuable humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, addressing urgent needs such as food security, healthcare, and education”.
The sessions cover a range of topics including “Economic Cooperation between the UAE and Africa”, “UAE-Africa Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Security”, “The Role of the UAE and Africa in the UN Security Council”, “UAE, Africa and Small Politics”, “UAE-Africa Cooperation in Innovative Technologies” and “Climate Change, Food Security and the Green Transition between the UAE and Africa”.
By gathering this group of experts, academics, advisors, legislators and policymakers at the summit, AGDA and the ECSSR are providing the means to facilitate the future of the UAE’s evolving relationships with Sub-Saharan African nations, including CEPA agreements, the Ministry of Economy’s UAE – Africa Gateway, and now the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will open the doors to a new era of trade and investment with a larger, unified African market, where the UAE has emerged as the fourth largest foreign direct investor behind China, the EU and the United States of America.