UAE-DRC Trade And Investment Day Opens New Opportunities In Mining, Energy And Infrastructure

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister for Foreign Trade, led a senior UAE delegation to Lualaba Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the UAE-DRC Trade and Investment Day, where officials and business leaders from both sides discussed new avenues to deepen economic ties and expand private sector partnerships across several strategic industries.

The mission focused on translating these discussions into concrete cooperation, with the two sides signing 16 Memorandums of Understanding covering sectors such as mining, solar energy, agriculture, food security, digital transformation, infrastructure, housing, pharmaceuticals, fisheries and sports, reflecting a broad agenda for UAE-DRC trade and investment over the coming years.

During the visit, the UAE delegation toured several sites in Lualaba, including the Kamoa mine and Katibi lake, while officials highlighted the province’s role in national development. Lualaba is a major mining and transport hub, centred on Kolwezi, and is widely recognised as one of the main economic engines of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The province holds extensive reserves of copper and cobalt and is central to large infrastructure schemes such as the Lobito Corridor and the Nzilo 2 hydropower plant, which together reinforce Lualaba’s importance in regional logistics and power generation while strengthening the economic case for long-term UAE-DRC trade and investment projects.

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Following the bilateral meetings, Al Zeyoudi said, "The UAE remains eager to strengthen our already robust partnership with the DRC, recognizing the immense potential that still lies ahead. This visit signifies our commitment to collaborating on sustainable development initiatives that will benefit both nations. By leveraging our collective strengths, we can create remarkable opportunities for growth across many increasingly important sectors."

Al Zeyoudi’s programme in Kolwezi included talks with Governor Fifi Masuka Saini, who leads the Lualaba provincial government, along with ministers responsible for energy, infrastructure, tourism and mining, underscoring how UAE-DRC trade and investment discussions are linked to the province’s long-term development strategy and its resource-based industries.

The UAE minister also met several other senior provincial officials, including HE Dr. Pitchou Kainda, Provincial Minister of Health; Moise Mukepe, Provincial Minister of Infrastructure; Jeffrey Masuka, Provincial Minister of Energy; and Achille Muteteke, Provincial Minister of Finance, to examine cooperation opportunities in public services, transport networks, energy supply and financial management.

The UAE-DRC Trade and Investment Day brought together high-level representatives from government bodies and private companies from both nations, who examined ways to support economic diversification, sustainable growth and cross-border business links, while giving particular attention to how new projects in Lualaba could connect with broader regional supply chains.

UAE-DRC trade and investment within wider UAE-Africa strategy

The DRC, with a gross domestic product of about US$70.75 billion, is one of Africa’s ten largest economies and has become an increasingly important trading partner for the UAE, which is seeking to expand UAE-DRC trade and investment in parallel with wider initiatives across the African continent.

Non-oil trade between the UAE and the DRC reached US$2.1 billion in the first nine months of 2025, a 19.2% increase compared with the same period a year earlier, and both governments intend to build on this momentum by encouraging investment flows and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in both markets.

Within the UAE’s foreign trade strategy and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement initiative, Africa is treated as a key growth region, and non-oil trade between the UAE and African countries totalled US$112 billion in 2024, which represented a 34% rise on the previous year, highlighting the regional context for expanding UAE-DRC trade and investment.

Since 2019, the UAE has invested more than US$110 billion in African economies, positioning the country as a leading source of capital for infrastructure, industry and services on the continent, and the agreements signed in Lualaba are viewed by both sides as part of this broader pattern of UAE-DRC trade and investment cooperation.

Officials from the UAE and the Democratic Republic of Congo signalled that the Trade and Investment Day in Lualaba marked another step in a growing partnership, with the new Memorandums of Understanding, ministerial-level discussions and site visits creating a detailed framework for future collaboration while aligning UAE-DRC trade and investment with long-term goals for sustainable and diversified economic growth.

With inputs from WAM