"President of the South African Chamber"Economic relations with the UAE are witnessing sustainable growth, and Dubai is a global center for investments

Johannesburg, June 6 / WAM / His Excellency Mtho Kzulu, President of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that the economic relations between the UAE and South Africa are witnessing sustainable momentum and growth, driven by a common desire of the two governments and the business communities in the two countries to enhance cooperation and transform the strategic partnership into projects, investments and tangible economic opportunities on the ground.

He said in an interview with the Emirates News Agency, WAM, on the sidelines of the Dubai South Africa Business Forum, which was organized by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and held in Johannesburg, that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, has become a global economic center and a major station linking African markets to the Middle East, Asia and the world, which makes it an important strategic partner for South African companies wishing to expand internationally.

He added: We view Dubai as one of the most important trade and investment gateways in the world. It not only serves the Arabian Gulf region, but also allows African companies to access wide global markets. In return, South Africa provides the Emiratis with an important platform to access the growing investment opportunities on the African continent.

His Excellency Mtho Kzulu revealed his country’s aspiration to host the Dubai Business Forum, organized by Dubai Chambers, in which it will review the investment opportunities offered by the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, stressing that this will represent a historic step that reflects the depth of the growing relations between the two sides.

He added: We hope that in the coming years, South Africa will host the Dubai Business Forum for the first time on the African continent, which will constitute a clear message about the strategic position occupied by UAE-South African relations, and the extent of the promising opportunities that can arise from this cooperation.

Regarding the development of trade relations, he said that non-oil trade between Dubai and South Africa amounted to about 8 billion US dollars during the year 2025. We also witnessed during the past year an important milestone in the course of economic relations between the two countries when the Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa led a high-level economic delegation to the UAE, where we held fruitful meetings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with the aim of expanding the horizons of economic and investment cooperation and opening new channels of communication between the private sectors of the two countries.

He added that one of the most important outcomes that were agreed upon during that visit was to enhance the role of chambers of commerce and economic institutions in leading direct cooperation between companies and businessmen, noting that hosting the Dubai-South Africa Business Forum represents a practical translation of this trend.

He explained that relations between countries gain their true importance when they are reflected on the ground through business partnerships, investments and trade exchange. Therefore, cooperation between the Dubai Chambers and the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry constitutes a practical model for transforming government understandings into real economic opportunities that achieve added value for both sides.

Regarding the promising sectors of cooperation between the two countries, the President of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry explained that the services economy is one of the most important areas that the two countries can build on, especially in the tourism, professional, financial and technical services sectors.

He said that the UAE has achieved exceptional global success in the tourism and services sector, while South Africa has great potential in this field as well, and therefore we see broad opportunities to exchange experiences, develop joint projects, and enhance tourism and investment movement between the two countries.

He added that the manufacturing sector is one of South Africa’s main priorities during the next phase, in light of government efforts aimed at strengthening the industrial base and increasing the added value of the national economy.

He said: We seek to expand our manufacturing capabilities in many industrial sectors, and we see great opportunities for partnership with Emirati companies in the fields of advanced manufacturing, manufacturing industries, consumer products, and value-added industries.

He pointed out that there are great investment opportunities in the fields of infrastructure and mining, stressing that South Africa possesses huge natural resources and advanced expertise in the mining sector, in addition to promising projects in infrastructure development that require international partnerships, financing and investments.

He stressed that the relations between the UAE and South Africa go beyond bilateral cooperation to coordination in many international economic forums, which enhances the strength of the partnership between the two countries and opens new horizons for future cooperation.

He added: We are very optimistic about the future of relations with the UAE. What we saw during the Dubai South Africa Business Forum is not just an economic dialogue, but rather the building of a long-term strategic partnership based on trust, common interests, and the desire to achieve growth and prosperity. We look forward to seeing more investments and partnerships between our companies, which will benefit the economies of the two countries and their people.

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