The rising trade between Dubai and Africa has prompted the Dubai Chamber of Commerce to announce the opening of new offices in Africa. The Dubai Chamber of Commerce already has representative offices in Nairobi (Kenya), Maputo (Mozambique), Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa). The mandate of Dubai Chamber offices in Africa is to gather market information and to facilitate bilateral opportunities between Dubai and Africa. To do this, the Dubai Chamber offices in Africa offer a variety of services that helps to promote and represent Dubai in Africa and attract African companies to Dubai More offices might be opened in other key markets in Africa in the coming years.
Trade between Kenya and Dubai has been increasing with each passing year. Kenya is the fifth largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa and a major destination of Dubai’s exports and re-exports. Many companies in Dubai have opened offices in Nairobi or have appointed agents and distributors in Kenya to promote their products and services in the East African nation which is also known as a business and logistics hub of the East African region.
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The booming tourism industry of Kenya has attracted investors from Dubai. Notable among these are Emaar Properties and the prestigious Jumeirah Group – world renowned developers based in Dubai that have already invested in Kenya’s lucrative hotel sector.
"We are looking forward to opening our new office in Africa, in Kenya," said a spokesperson from Dubai Chamber of Commerce. “Kenya is an important trade and investment partner for us as it is strategically located and a member of the East Africa Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA). We believe there are a lot of synergies between Kenya and Dubai in various sectors, such as tourism, ICT, and logistics, and this office will help us strengthen our footprint in the country and the wider region.
Mozambique, on the other hand is one of the fastest growing markets in the East African coast. Dubai’s trade with Mozambique has registered an astounding 500 per cent growth in the last decade.
“Our decision to open an office in Mozambique is reflective of our aim to increase our footprint in the country and to give the businesses the chance to capitalize on the 250 million strong consumer base as Mozambique will open doors to the wider Southern African Development Community (SADC), for us,” the spokesperson of the Dubai Chamber said.
In the reverse direction, Africa’s exports to the UAE have also grown by 11 per cent over the last five years. The UAE is among the top 10 trading partners for several individual African nations and has been a top-three export destination for the entire COMESA bloc for many years.
The African continent contains six out of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies and foreign direct investment is unable to cope with the immense opportunities on the ground. The African Development Bank predicts that as much as $155billion needs to be spent in Africa every year on infrastructure till 2040. It is estimated that less than half of this is actually coming through.
Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub..
