The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the UAE’s premier diplomatic training center, has teamed up with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) to launch ‘the UAE – Africa Dialogue’.
This initiative gathers experts, scholars, diplomats, legislators and policymakers to strengthen the relations between Sub-Saharan African countries and the Gulf region, with a particular focus on the UAE. The discussions include a diverse array of topics, such as economic, diplomatic, cultural and security policies.
The event, being held at AGDA from October 28th to 29th, brings together representatives from leading think tanks to facilitate the development of innovative strategies focused on fostering cooperation and investment while also addressing emerging challenges.
The UAE-Africa Dialogue was opened with keynote speeches from His Excellency Nickolay Mladenov, Director General of AGDA, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al-Nuaimi, Director General of ECSSR, and His Excellency Ambassador Martin Kimani, Executive Director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and Non-Resident Fellow at AGDA.
His Excellency Nickolay Mladenov Director General – AGDA
“The growing economic partnerships between the UAE and Africa, shaped by geographical proximity and historical ties, are now focused on addressing critical issues such as food security, energy transition and infrastructure development. Hosting the UAE-Africa Dialogue at AGDA is a testament to our Academy’s commitment to driving meaningful discussions on how economic diplomacy can make a difference in promoting economic growth in both regions and address the requirements needed to foster sustainable growth in trade and investment between the UAE and Sub-Saharan Africa, including infrastructure projects, humanitarian assistance, cultural development and meeting the essential requirements to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al-Nuaimi, stated that, “The UAE has a history of investing in infrastructure development in African nations, in fields including transportation, energy, agriculture and telecommunications to support sustainable growth, but our relationships go further than trade and investment. Fully aligned with the United Nations’ SDGs, we also focus on helping to alleviate poverty and promote environmental sustainability and provide valuable humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, addressing urgent needs such as food security, healthcare, and education.”
The two-day dialogue sessions are covering a wide range of topics including “Economic Cooperation between the UAE and Africa”, “UAE-Africa Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Security”, “The Role of the UAE and Africa in the UN Security Council”, “UAE, Africa and Small Politics”, “UAE-Africa Cooperation in Innovative Technologies” and “Climate Change, Food Security and the Green Transition between the UAE and Africa”.
With this initiative, AGDA and the ECSSR are offering the means to facilitate the future of the UAE’s evolving relationships with Sub-Saharan African nations, including CEPA agreements, the Ministry of Economy’s UAE – Africa Gateway, and now the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will pave the way for a new era of trade and investment with a larger, unified African market, where the UAE has emerged as the fourth largest foreign direct investor behind China, the EU and the United States of America.
