During a recent official visit to Dakar, Senegal, His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, met with President Macky Sall of Senegal to discuss enhancing trade and investment relations between the two nations. The discussions aimed to explore new collaboration opportunities in priority sectors, thereby serving mutual economic interests and supporting sustainable growth.
Warm Greetings and Strong Ties
At the start of the meeting, Dr. Al Zeyoudi conveyed greetings from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court. He expressed their wishes for further progress and prosperity for the Republic of Senegal and its people.
In reciprocation, President Sall extended his greetings to the UAE leadership, wishing the nation continued advancement and prosperity. He conveyed his appreciation for the robust relations shared between the two countries and expressed his eagerness to enhance collaboration, particularly in trade and investment sectors.
Advancing Economic Cooperation
During the discussions, both parties underscored the importance of boosting trade flows, encouraging mutual investment, and strengthening communication between business communities. These efforts are essential for capitalising on promising opportunities in sectors such as mining, renewable energy, infrastructure, food security, and logistics, aligning with Senegal’s national development priorities and the UAE’s strengths as a global hub for trade and investment.
“Senegal is a key strategic partner for the UAE in West Africa,” Dr. Al Zeyoudi remarked. He highlighted the shared commitment to expanding economic, commercial, and investment cooperation, noting that recent engagements reflect a desire to transform this growing relationship into practical opportunities and quality partnerships for the private sectors in both nations.
He further stated, “By deepening cooperation in areas like mining, renewable energy, infrastructure, food security, and logistics, we can stimulate new trade and investment flows, foster integration between our business communities, and contribute to sustainable economic growth that benefits both countries and their peoples.” He cited a remarkable 24.5% increase in non-oil trade between the two nations, anticipating it to reach AED 4.7 billion by 2025 and AED 2.8 billion in the first half of 2026, showcasing a 31% growth.
Engagements during the Visit
As part of the “UAE Trade Days,” Dr. Al Zeyoudi led a delegation of Emirati officials, business leaders, and representatives from various Emirati companies to Senegal. The delegation included His Excellency Saeed Hamdan Alnaqbi, UAE Ambassador to Senegal, and Mohammed Rashid Bin Taliah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Government Knowledge Exchange. Together, they participated in a series of meetings with senior government officials, investors, and representatives from the private sector in Dakar, including Prime Minister Amadou Ba and Minister of Mines and Geology, Sheikh Omar Sy.
These discussions revolved around strengthening commercial and investment cooperation and exploring available investment opportunities across critical sectors of mutual interest, such as renewable energy, technology, mining, infrastructure, food security, and logistics. These efforts reflect the UAE’s commitment to enhancing the private sector’s role in supporting shared economic development and creating new opportunities for growth and prosperity.
Future Prospects and Investments
During the visit, B2B meetings and bilateral discussions took place among several ministers, officials, and business leaders from both countries. These sessions aimed to showcase the trade and investment opportunities in the targeted sectors and explore avenues to enhance private sector partnerships, thereby supporting investment flows and trade exchanges, and bolstering sustainable economic development.
This UAE delegation visit aligns with ongoing efforts to expand trade and investment partnerships with promising markets in Africa. By 2025, the value of non-oil trade between the UAE and the African continent is projected to reach AED 581.1 billion, achieving a remarkable growth of 41.6% compared to 2024. The contribution of Africa to the UAE’s non-oil trade is expected to grow from 10.8% in 2019 to 15.5% by 2025, with nearly double the trade value seen in 2022. Moreover, UAE investments in Africa have exceeded AED 404 billion from 2019 to 2024.
Additionally, the UAE’s comprehensive economic partnership agreements, launched in September 2021, continue to facilitate the country’s global trade and investment openness, providing wider access for its companies and exports to international markets.
The Emirati delegation comprised business leaders and representatives from several UAE companies operating in critical sectors of mutual interest, emphasising mining, renewable energy, infrastructure, food security, and logistics.