A $6 billion investment mapping initiative was launched at the UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025, aiming to enhance tourism, infrastructure, and connectivity throughout the continent.
Announced at a high-level ministerial roundtable in Dubai, the project is forecast to create approximately 70,000 jobs across several African nations, according to UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri, as reported by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The initiative highlights tourism as a core driver of sustainable development and economic diversification, reinforcing the UAE’s expanding role as a major investor and strategic partner in Africa.
Al-Marri said that the UAE and African nations are at a critical juncture in building a resilient and sustainable tourism industry.
“This milestone is marked by the launch of a new investment mapping featuring diverse tourism projects in the fields of aviation, logistics services, infrastructure, and the digital sector, with an estimated total value of approximately $6 billion and the potential to generate 70,000 job opportunities in various countries of the African continent,” he stated.
From 2019 to 2023, UAE investments in Africa surpassed $110 billion, making the Gulf state the continent’s fourth-largest investor, after the US, China, and the EU, Arab News reports.
More than $70 billion of this funding has been directed toward green and renewable energy projects, reflecting the UAE’s emphasis on sustainable development.
Al-Marri also pointed out that tourism ranks among the top five sectors for Emirati investment in Africa, alongside energy, infrastructure, logistics, and real estate.
The latest series of projects unveiled at the summit represents a continuation and expansion of this strategy, reinforcing the UAE’s commitment to aligning its investments with climate objectives and the development of sustainable tourism.
Moreover, the summit also featured comments from Shaikha Nasser Al-Nowais, the Secretary-General Elect of the UN World Tourism Organisation for 2026–2029. She highlighted that in 2024, the global tourism and travel industry contributed $10.9 trillion to the world’s GDP, representing 10% of the global economy.
Speaking to WAM on the sidelines of the summit, she noted that this contribution is projected to reach $11.7 trillion in 2025, reflecting a 6.7% increase from 2024 and a 13% growth compared with 2019 levels.
In addition, on the domestic front, Al-Marri highlighted that tourism investments in the UAE amounted to 28.8 billion dirhams ($7.78 billion) in 2023, increased to 32.2 billion dirhams in 2024, and are forecast to reach 35.2 billion dirhams in 2025.