The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a significant economic partner across Francophone Africa, complementing rather than displacing long-established actors. Although its engagement remains relatively recent, the scale of investment commitments and the consistency of political dialogue reveal an ambition to anchor durable partnerships throughout West and Central Africa.
This shift coincides with a broader trend of diversification, as governments in the region seek to widen strategic alliances. Emirati institutions and private sector groups have positioned themselves as pragmatic partners focused on energy, essential infrastructure, technology and investment facilitation.
A new phase in West Africa’s economic partnerships
Over the past decade, the UAE has deployed more than 110 billion USD in Africa, with a notable concentration in Francophone West and Central Africa. These countries have traditionally relied on France as their main investor and development partner. Yet as states pursue broader diplomatic and economic diversification, the UAE has emerged as a preferred interlocutor for public authorities and private sector actors alike.
Côte d’Ivoire illustrates this shift. As the largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the second largest in ECOWAS, it has long cultivated strong commercial ties with France. Renewable energy now stands at the forefront of cooperation with the UAE. The Ivorian government aims to raise the share of renewables to 45 percent of the electricity mix by 2030, including 678 MW of solar power. AMEA Power, a subsidiary of Al Nowais Investments, inaugurated the 81.8 million USD Boundiali solar plant in 2024 with an initial capacity of 37.5 MW, set to increase to 80 MW. The company also launched the Bondoukou project valued at 60 million USD and expected to deliver 50 MW upon completion. Infinity Power secured two concession agreements to construct solar plants in Laboa and Touba with a combined capacity of 80 MW, following a competitive process supervised by the IFC.
Political dialogue has intensified in parallel. During a week-long visit to the UAE in November 2024, Prime Minister Robert Mambe Beugre secured 50 million USD from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and concluded an agreement for the construction of 25,000 low-cost homes and 7,000 social housing units. A mixed commission between the two governments was also established to ensure sustained coordination. Earlier in the year, a non-binding agreement with G42 Presight prepared the ground for a 95 million USD investment in a data centre, artificial intelligence systems and civil service management tools. Bilateral trade rose from 37.2 billion XOF in 2015 to 159.2 billion XOF in 2022 before stabilising at 121.8 billion XOF in 2023. Institutional partnerships have also deepened through agreements with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce in 2023 and the UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce in 2025.
Senegal and Togo: consolidating a diversified landscape
Senegal has long retained strong economic ties with France, yet it has increasingly consolidated its partnership with the UAE. The Ndayane Port development, led by DP World, represents one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects, with 840 million USD committed. Following his election in April 2024, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye travelled to the UAE in December to reaffirm cooperation priorities in agriculture, education and energy. A subsequent visit by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in September culminated in a bilateral investment forum where Emirati investors identified agriculture, energy, information technology, mining and port infrastructure as opportunities aligned with the Vision 2050 agenda.
Togo has likewise emerged as a key destination for Emirati renewable energy investment. The Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed solar plant in Blitta, inaugurated in 2021, was the country’s first facility of this scale. Built by AMEA Power and financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the West African Development Bank, the 50 MW plant supplies electricity to more than 158,000 households. An extension is underway. In December 2023, Togo and AMEA Power signed a financing agreement to raise the plant’s total capacity to 100 MW, including an additional 30 MW and a battery storage system of at least 10 MWh. These investments support national objectives to achieve universal electricity access by 2030 and increase the renewable share to 50 percent of the energy mix.
Central Africa: Chad as the focal point of a deepening strategic partnership
In Central Africa, Chad has become the focal point of Emirati engagement since President Mahamat Idriss Deby assumed office in 2021. In October 2024, the UAE approved a 500 million USD loan through the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, complementing 200 million USD mobilised in 2023. President Deby’s visit to Abu Dhabi in April reinforced this trajectory and prepared the ground for enhanced support to the national development strategy, Tchad Connexion 2030. In May, a memorandum of understanding with Etihad Rail launched feasibility studies for the N’Djamena–N’Gaoundere railway, a strategic corridor intended to strengthen subregional connectivity.
Energy has remained a core pillar of cooperation. AMEA Power is developing two solar projects expected to generate between 36 and 60 MW and 120 MW respectively. High-level political engagement continues to accompany these investments. During a visit to N’Djamena in August 2025, the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade reaffirmed the Emirates’ readiness to invest in priority sectors including agriculture, energy, finance, logistics, transport and tourism.
A UAE-Chad Forum held in November 2025 in Abu Dhabi marked a decisive milestone in structuring this partnership. It brought together three heads of state and government — President Mahamat Idriss Déby of Chad, President Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger and Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo — alongside Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, senior representatives of the World Bank and every major development finance institution. The event translated years of political dialogue into concrete outcomes, with more than forty memoranda of understanding concluded across agriculture, livestock, renewable energy, mining, digital infrastructure, transport corridors, urban development and essential public services.
The Forum generated 20.5 billion USD in commitments, underscoring strong confidence in Chad’s economic potential and a clear alignment with the objectives of Tchad Connexion 2030. Throughout 2025, discussions further highlighted a widening scope of cooperation in telecommunications, tourism, financial services and social infrastructure, including healthcare and education projects supported by Emirati entities. These developments point to an increasingly structured partnership architecture anchored in sustained political dialogue and a growing convergence between Chad’s development priorities and the UAE’s investment strategy.
Expanding investment horizons in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Emirati engagement has concentrated on critical minerals. In July 2023, Primera Group concluded a 1.9 billion USD agreement with the state-owned company Sakima to develop four deposits in South Kivu and Maniema, including a 25-year export arrangement for artisanal ores such as tantalum, tungsten, coltan and tin. In 2024, International Resources Holding became the majority shareholder of Alphamin Resources and took control of the Bisie mining complex, further anchoring the UAE’s presence in a sector central to global supply chains.
Across Francophone Africa, these developments illustrate how political dialogue, targeted investments and expanding private sector initiatives are reshaping economic partnerships. From renewable energy in Côte d’Ivoire and Togo to major infrastructure and mining ventures in Senegal, Chad and the DRC, Emirati actors have aligned their initiatives with national priorities centred on modernisation, diversification and long-term economic resilience. As regional strategies evolve, the scope and depth of these engagements will continue to shape economic trajectories and the balance of partnerships across the region.
