2025 Programme

08:00  Registration & Networking

09:00  Opening Remarks

09:15  Keynote Address: UAE Government Official

09:30  Keynote Address: African Head of State

09:45  Debate: Capital Meets Strategy – The UAE as a Partner in Africa’s Industrial Strategy

The UAE has rapidly emerged as one of Africa’s most important long-term investors – from ports and power plants to logistics corridors and light manufacturing hubs. But what does strategic partnership beyond deal-making really look like? This session explores how the UAE’s investment model is evolving to support Africa’s industrial ecosystems in a sustainable, mutually beneficial way. Panellists will discuss co-development and joint ventures that go beyond capital injections, focusing on logistics infrastructure, industrial financing, and knowledge transfer.

10:30   Keynote Address: Mapping the Terrain – Risk and Opportunity in the UAE–Africa Corridor

As the UAE–Africa investment corridor deepens, so too does the complexity of the landscape in which it operates. In this session, the speaker will offer a sharp, forward-looking analysis of the political and economic risks shaping the region — from shifting regulatory frameworks to the broader implications of great power competition, trade fragmentation, and climate volatility. With an eye on both structural challenges and emerging opportunities, they will provide a strategic briefing on what investors and policymakers need to watch — and how to navigate what’s next.

10:45   Break

11:00   Debate: Redefining Returns – The New Logic of Capital in the UAE–Africa Corridor

As capital becomes more strategic, thematic and regionally aligned, the Gulf–Africa investment corridor is emerging as a testbed for new models of deployment. Sovereign wealth funds are forming direct partnerships with African governments; Gulf family offices are moving from philanthropy to impact investing; and global and regional DFIs are co-financing with Gulf institutions at unprecedented scale. But behind this momentum lies a deeper question: what does "value" mean in 2025?

 This session will explore the new rules of capital deployment in Africa, examining how sustainability, climate risk, geopolitical non-alignment, and supply chain resilience are reshaping how – and why – capital moves. Speakers will interrogate blended finance frameworks, energy-transition-linked credit, co-investment platforms, and sovereign-to-sovereign strategies.

11:45   Spotlight: Fulfilling the $4.5bn Pledge – Where UAE Climate Finance Stands Post-COP28

At COP28, the UAE made a landmark $4.5 billion climate finance pledge to Africa — a catalytic commitment to unlock sustainable energy and climate resilience across the continent. Nearly two years on, this session will offer a frank, forward-looking assessment of what’s been deployed, what’s in the pipeline, and what barriers remain. Featuring voices from across the UAE’s flagship climate platforms, AGII Member institutions, and African development partners, the conversation will explore what effective, African-led deployment looks like in practice — and how this pledge is reshaping the continent’s energy future.

12:15 Debate: Building Africa’s Energy Future

Africa’s energy landscape is undergoing a seismic transformation — from solar and wind to green hydrogen, gas-to-power and emerging storage technologies. But building this new energy economy demands more than megawatts. It requires deep infrastructure investment: in transmission lines, ports, desalination plants, and human capital. This session brings together government, developers, financiers and regulators to examine how UAE–Africa partnerships are shaping the future of African energy — and positioning the continent at the forefront of global decarbonisation.

13:00   Lunch

14:00   Keynote: A New Chapter in UAE–Africa Relations

14:15   Ports, Policy, and Possibility: Berbera and the New Gateway to East Africa

The Horn of Africa is becoming a frontier for strategic investment. This fireside conversation brings together Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, and H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi, President of the Republic of Somaliland to explore the vision behind the Berbera Special Economic Zone and its growing geopolitical and commercial relevance. From infrastructure and logistics to regulatory certainty and sovereign risk, this session will unpack what it takes to drive long-term FDI into overlooked but high-potential markets — and why Berbera may be the next critical link in Africa’s trade and industrial future.

15:00   Debate: Smart Infrastructure for a Smarter Continent

Africa’s infrastructure deficit remains one of the continent’s greatest development challenges – yet it also presents a unique opportunity. Rather than replicating legacy systems, African governments and their partners are increasingly looking to leapfrog toward digital-first, tech-enabled solutions. From cloud-powered logistics corridors to sensor-integrated roads and data-driven urban planning, a new generate on of “smart infrastructure” is beginning to take shape — with strong interest from Gulf capital and technology platforms.

This panel interrogates how Africa and the UAE can co-develop the infrastructure of the future: faster, leaner, and more transparent. What are the real use cases for smart infrastructure — and where is it already happening? What governance and regulatory environments are needed to make these models scalable? And how can Gulf sovereign capital and innovation ecosystems catalyse investment in Africa’s digital public goods?

15:45   Break

16:00   Debate: Seeds of Opportunity – Agribusiness as a Strategic Asset

Agriculture has long been viewed through a development lens. But in 2025, food security has become a core issue of economic security, climate strategy, and geopolitics — and increasingly, a magnet for Gulf investment. As global food systems are disrupted by climate volatility, supply chain shocks, and shifting trade flows, the UAE is stepping into a more assertive role: not just as an importer, but as a partner in African agricultural transformation.

 This session will explore how Emirati investors and African governments are working together to reshape the continent’s food economy — from greenhouses and irrigation infrastructure to agri-processing hubs, logistics corridors, and agri-tech platforms. It will examine where the most promising commercial models are emerging, what innovations are proving scalable, and how to ensure these partnerships deliver shared value — from food security in the Gulf to jobs and resilience in Africa.

16:45   Fireside Chat: Where Next for UAE–Africa Investment?

As the world’s economic centre of gravity shifts and global capital realigns, the UAE–Africa investment relationship is entering a new, more strategic era. No longer driven solely by resource deals or logistics hubs, this partnership is expanding into clean energy, digital platforms, agribusiness, fintech, and beyond — creating a complex, multi-sector corridor of mutual opportunity.

In this closing conversation, two of the region’s most dynamic business leaders reflect on what’s driving investment today, where the real growth lies, and how African and Gulf enterprises can lead together — not just in trade, but in shaping the next chapter of globalisation.

17:15   Closing Remarks

17:30   Reception