Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, met with representatives of the South African Business Council in the UAE to review opportunities to expand trade, investment, and private sector collaboration between the two countries.
Emirates News Agency (WAM), a partner of TV BRICS, reports that discussions noted that the UAE’s non-oil trade with South Africa reached 8.5 billion dollars in 2024, representing a 14 per cent increase compared to 2023 and a 120 per cent rise since 2019.
In the first half of 2025, non-oil trade totalled 3.93 billion dollars.
South Africa is now the UAE’s second-largest non-oil trade partner in Africa.
Al Zeyoudi underlined areas of cooperation in food security, logistics, infrastructure, tourism, and renewable energy, and said that joint projects could support economic growth and sustainable development.
The talks also addressed ways to encourage greater private sector involvement on both sides.
More than 3,690 South African companies currently operate in the UAE, across sectors such as construction, hospitality, and financial services.
