As a significant foreign investor, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has managed to enhance its geopolitical influence across the globe, with a notable focus on Africa. The UAE’s investments and interests in Africa are multifaceted, broadly aiming to secure economic interests, maintain defense & security partnerships, and deepen diplomatic ties across the continent. Beyond capital gains, these investments reflect a broader agenda to project Emirati influence beyond the Gulf region and throughout the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and among its fellow African member states in the Arab League, particularly Egypt.

Geopolitics typically motivates UAE engagements across the African continent. Objectives include ensuring maritime security in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean via security cooperation in the Horn of Africa, as well as its alleged role as a key financier in various proxy conflicts; for example, backing the Rapid Support Forces in the Sudan civil war, General Haftar in eastern Libya, and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in its ongoing fight against M23 rebels. Broadly speaking, the UAE’s strategy underscores the Gulf state’s broader vision of becoming an indispensable ally and partner in development and security across the African continent.

 

Targeting African Agribusiness and Farmland

Africa’s abundant farmland, favorable demographics, and natural resources present a prime opportunity for the UAE to diversify its non-oil trade and rectify its dependence on imports to ensure domestic food security. By deploying a significant portion of its foreign investment to the agribusiness sector, the UAE leverages Africa’s natural advantages to compensate for its own geographical and environmental limitations. These include an arid climate, in addition to the lack of arable land and freshwater resources in the UAE. Consequently, Emirati agribusiness firms primarily concentrate on food processing or food retailing in the value chain.