The African Union and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to deepen their strategic partnership, following a pledge of $1bn (£810m) from the Gulf nation to fund artificial intelligence (AI) projects across the continent.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a high-level meeting in Addis Ababa on Tuesday between the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and the UAE’s Minister of State, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan.
The “AI for Development” initiative, which was first announced at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, is designed to support digital transformation and innovation in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063 development goals.
Security and Sudan
While the investment pledge headlined the talks, the leaders also addressed the escalating instability in the Horn of Africa and the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
In a joint statement, both sides called for an “immediate and unconditional humanitarian truce” in Sudan and the establishment of a civilian-led government. They also underscored the vital link between maritime security in the Arabian Gulf and stability in the Horn of Africa.
The meeting also touched on:
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Regional Trade: Renewed support for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a tool for economic resilience.
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Sovereignty: Reaffirming support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.
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Water Crisis: A commitment to cooperate on water resilience ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference, which the UAE will co-host with Senegal.
A Growing Partnership
The talks build on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2019, reflecting the UAE’s growing influence and investment footprint across Africa.
The two sides agreed that durable peace is a prerequisite for economic integration, noting that the $1bn AI fund would be most effective in a stable environment.
The chairperson and the minister also addressed a long-standing territorial dispute, with the AUC supporting the UAE’s call for a peaceful resolution regarding three islands currently occupied by Iran.
