Dubai Chamber highlights Africa expansion as trade with Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa tops $16.4bn

Dubai Chamber of Commerce has launched the first event in its 2026 “In Focus” series, spotlighting expansion opportunities for local companies in Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa as trade ties with Africa continue to strengthen.

Organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the event attracted more than 228 participants and focused on trade and investment opportunities, business entry mechanisms and high-potential economic sectors across the three African markets.

The “In Focus” event serves as an introduction to the ‘New Horizons’ initiative, which enables Dubai-based companies to participate in trade missions organised by the chamber to selected international markets.

Dubai Chamber of Commerce plans to organise trade missions to Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa during the first half of this year, alongside meetings and events aimed at exploring investment opportunities and joint economic partnerships.

Dubai – Africa trade ties

During 2024, non-oil trade between Dubai and Ethiopia reached approximately AED 6.6bn ($1.8bn), representing annual growth of 90 per cent. Dubai’s non-oil trade with Ghana rose to AED 24.7bn ($6.7bn), an increase of 75 per cent, while South Africa remained one of Dubai’s key trading partners in Africa, with non-oil trade registering annual growth of 20 per cent to reach AED 29bn ($7.9bn).

According to Dubai Chamber of Commerce, these figures underline the strength of Dubai’s economic relationships with key African markets and highlight the depth of trade and investment opportunities available across the continent.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, said: “We are committed to empowering the business community to explore new growth horizons in promising international markets and helping companies build strategic partnerships that support business expansion and strengthen long-term sustainability.

“This reflects our ongoing focus on enhancing private sector competitiveness by providing companies with the insights and expertise they need to understand international market dynamics and navigate their expansion effectively, while leveraging Dubai’s integrated strengths as a global hub for business and trade.”

The session included a detailed presentation outlining Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s support services for companies expanding internationally, alongside market-specific insights into Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa.

Participants in the “In Focus” series benefit from in-depth business intelligence on target markets, access to the latest data, guidance on company set-up processes and advice on forming joint ventures.

The chamber said this tailored support is designed to assist businesses at every stage of their international growth journey and enable sustainable expansion into new markets.