United Arab Emirates (UAE) 

The UAE is leveraging its trading hubs, sovereign wealth funds, and global networks to dominate commodity trading, logistics, and upstream mining investment. 

Key deals & moves 

• Abu Dhabi's Emirates Global Aluminium has signed an agreement to buy copper from Kamoa-Kakula project 

• UAE’s sovereign investors have partnered with Moroccan companies for gold and base metal projects in West Africa 

• Port and corridor developments in Senegal, Somaliland, Mozambique, Angola, 

• Much of Africa’s ASM gold is funnelled through Dubai 

Saudi Arabia 

Through its Vision 2030 and state miner Ma’aden, Saudi Arabia is investing in African mines to secure critical minerals, build joint ventures and position itself as a global mining hub. 

Key deals & moves 

• Acquired a 10% stake in Brazil’s Vale base metals business, which has African assets 

• Signed mining cooperation agreements, seeking joint exploration ventures 

• Saudi Arabia hosts the Future Minerals Forum 

Qatar 

Qatar is less aggressive than the UAE or Saudi Arabia but uses Qatar Mining and the Qatar Investment Authority to secure deals, especially in North and West Africa. 

Key deals & moves 

• Active in gold exploration and extraction 

• Aluminum and phosphate supply chain interests in partnership with Mauritania and Algeria 
   

Other Gulf-African Synergies 

• Multilateral & Gulf-Africa Investment Forums 

• Frequent forums held in Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi promoting African mining 

• Gulf states offer Sharia-compliant project finance, trade credits, and infrastructure-for-minerals swaps  
   

  Gulf Country	African Country	Mineral | Sector	Company | Investor	Summary
  UAE	DRC	Copper | Cobalt	Emirates Global Aluminium	Offtake Agreements
  UAE	West Africa	Gold | Base Metals	ADQ | Managem	Strategic Partnerships
  UAE	Senegal	Port Logistics	DP World	Developing Dakar Port
  UAE	Mozambique	Corridor Logistics	DP World	Investment in ports
  UAE	Sierra Leone	Gold	Dubai Gold Refiners	ASM gold for refining
  Saudi Arabia	Sudan	Gold | Exploration	Ma’aden | Ministry of Industry	Exploration | Investments
  Saudi Arabia	Mauritania	Iron Ore | Gold	Ma’aden	Exploration Partnerships
  Saudi Arabia	Several	Copper | Nickel	Ma’aden | PIF	10% stake in Vale Base Metals
  Qatar	Sudan	Gold	Qatar Mining	Exploration and mining licenses
  Qatar	Mauritania	Iron Ore	Qatar Mining	FS in iron ore with SNIM
  Qatar	Zambia	Copper	Qatar Investment Authority	Partnerships with miners