UAE and South Africa Explore Avenues to Boost Bilateral Trade and Investment Opportunities

The UAE and South Africa are pushing to expand their already booming trade relationship, with non-oil trade between the two countries hitting $8.5 billion in 2024 — a 14% jump from the previous year and 120% higher than 2019 levels. The growth makes South Africa the UAE's second-largest trading partner in Africa.

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi met with South African Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Mfuo Parks Tau to explore ways to boost trade volumes and investment flows between the two nations. The meeting focused heavily on creating more opportunities for private sector companies on both sides.

The numbers tell a compelling story. In the first half of 2025 alone, non-oil trade flows reached $3.93 billion, keeping up the strong momentum from last year. South Africa now accounts for 7.6% of the UAE's total non-oil trade with Africa and ranks as the UAE's 22nd largest trading partner globally.

"There's a shared commitment between the UAE and South Africa to keep strengthening our close ties in trade and investment," Al Zeyoudi said during the meeting. The discussions covered joint projects in logistics, renewable energy, and real estate, while also exploring new opportunities in agriculture, food production, infrastructure, and manufacturing.

But here's where it gets interesting for the broader market. The UAE is systematically building economic bridges across sub-Saharan Africa through comprehensive economic partnership agreements. With the recent signing of a deal with Angola, the UAE now has five such agreements with African countries south of the Sahara, including Mauritius, Kenya, Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic.

This strategy places the UAE well to benefit from Africa's economic growth as the continent becomes more important in global trade networks. For investors and businesses, it signals the UAE's commitment to becoming a gateway between Africa and global markets, particularly as African economies continue to expand and diversify.

The meeting followed earlier dialogue sessions between officials and business leaders from both countries, including UAE Foreign Trade Ministry Undersecretary Fahad Al Gergawi and a delegation of South African officials and businesspeople. Both sides emphasized the need to boost private sector cooperation to achieve shared economic prosperity.