UAE Deepens Africa Partnerships: Clean Energy, Green Growth Take Center Stage
Amid Nigeria’s oil-sector turbulence, global attention is shifting toward a different kind of energy story — one powered by renewables and sustainability.
At the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) Investment Forum in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Africa’s clean energy transition and driving green industrialization across the continent.
Representing the UAE, Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, emphasized that Africa’s path to prosperity must align with sustainable growth models rooted in innovation, inclusivity, and local ownership.
“The UAE remains committed to deepening partnerships that support Africa in achieving its clean energy and industrialization goals,” Balalaa stated. “Together, we can unlock greater investments, empower local communities, and advance shared prosperity.”
Building a Green Future
The Freetown meeting — themed “Boosting Energy Transition and Green Industrialization in APRA Countries” — brought together ministers from Ghana, Djibouti, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, among others, to deliberate on practical strategies for scaling renewable infrastructure and fostering regional cooperation.
Discussions centered on overcoming structural investment barriers, such as limited grid connectivity, policy instability, and financing constraints. The UAE used the occasion to spotlight its Africa Green Investment Initiative (AGII) — a $4.5 billion program launched during its COP28 Presidency, aimed at unlocking 15 gigawatts of new clean power capacity across Africa by 2030.
The AGII seeks to position the UAE not just as a financier but as a strategic partner in Africa’s energy future, blending capital with expertise in solar, wind, hydrogen, and grid modernization projects. In tandem, the UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) continue to expand across the continent, fostering bilateral trade in critical sectors including technology, logistics, and sustainable industry.
For African nations, the message is clear: the future of industrialization must be green, equitable, and globally integrated — and the UAE intends to be at the center of that transition.
