UAE-Africa Summit Charts $6 Billion Tourism Investment Path Creating 70,000 Jobs

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy and Tourism recently hosted the UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025 in Dubai, bringing together over 350 leaders, ministers, senior government officials, decision-makers, investors, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and 53 African nations. The summit, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and themed 'Building Bridges for Sustainable Growth,' represents a significant step in strengthening economic ties between the UAE and African nations through tourism development.

His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, emphasized in his opening speech that tourism serves as "a bridge connecting peoples and cultures around the world" and has become "a key driver for attracting investment and entrepreneurs." The summit, conducted as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS World 2025) and in collaboration with The Bench, focused on positioning tourism as a catalyst for economic growth and regional integration.

The event featured extensive panel sessions and presentations exploring the future of African tourism and methods to enhance tourism and investment collaboration between the UAE and African countries. Her Excellency Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, UN Tourism Secretary-General elect for 2026–2029, delivered a pivotal presentation titled 'The Future of African Tourism' that outlined a comprehensive development vision for advancing Africa's tourism sector. These discussions contributed to strengthening economic integration across the continent through quality partnerships in tourism, hospitality, infrastructure, project financing, and innovation.

A major outcome emerged from the high-level ministerial roundtable meeting involving more than 20 African nations, which produced a joint ministerial statement establishing a new investment mapping framework. This framework aims to bolster collaboration in tourism, aviation, transport and logistics, infrastructure, and digital transformation. The projects submitted by participating countries under this investment mapping are estimated to require approximately $6 billion in total investment and are projected to collectively generate 70,000 direct and indirect jobs across African economies.

The joint statement identifies five priority areas to strengthen UAE-Africa cooperation: tourism, investment and infrastructure, aviation and connectivity, sustainability, and SME-financing and innovation. This strategic framework addresses critical development needs while emphasizing sustainable growth principles. The substantial investment commitment and job creation potential demonstrate the summit's tangible economic impact, positioning tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development across African nations while strengthening the UAE's role as a global tourism and investment hub.