The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy and Tourism recently hosted the UAE-Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The summit, held under the theme 'Building Bridges for Sustainable Growth,' brought together over 350 leaders, ministers, senior government officials, decision-makers, investors, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and 53 African nations. His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, emphasized in his opening speech that tourism serves as a bridge connecting peoples and cultures worldwide. He noted that tourism has become a key driver for attracting investment and entrepreneurs while strengthening the growth and competitiveness of the UAE national economy.
The summit, held as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS World 2025) and in collaboration with The Bench, featured a series of panel sessions and presentations exploring the future of tourism in Africa and ways to develop tourism and investment collaboration between the UAE and African nations. These sessions contributed to strengthening economic integration in the continent by forging quality partnerships in tourism, hospitality, tourism infrastructure, tourism project financing and innovation. Her Excellency Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, UN Tourism Secretary-General elect for the term 2026–2029, delivered a presentation titled 'The Future of African Tourism' outlining a comprehensive development vision for driving Africa's tourism sector forward.
The summit also hosted a high-level ministerial roundtable meeting with participation from more than 20 African nations, resulting in a joint ministerial statement that sets out a new investment mapping to bolster collaboration and partnership in tourism, aviation, transport and logistics, infrastructure and digital transformation. The projects submitted by participating countries under the investment mapping are estimated to require a total investment of approximately USD 6 billion and are projected to generate 70,000 direct and indirect jobs collectively. The joint statement outlines five priority areas to bolster joint efforts between the UAE and Africa: tourism, investment and infrastructure, aviation and connectivity, sustainability, and SME-financing and innovation.
This strategic framework represents a significant step toward sustainable economic development across African nations while strengthening the UAE's position as a global tourism and investment hub. The collaboration addresses critical gaps in tourism infrastructure while promoting sustainable practices that protect Africa's natural and cultural heritage. The emphasis on SME-financing and innovation creates pathways for local entrepreneurship to benefit from tourism development, ensuring economic benefits are distributed more broadly across communities. The aviation and connectivity focus will improve transportation networks that have historically limited Africa's tourism potential, while digital transformation initiatives will modernize tourism services and marketing capabilities. The $6 billion investment commitment demonstrates tangible progress beyond dialogue, with job creation projections offering measurable economic impact for participating nations.
