EU taps UAE for Africa energy projects

According to a senior EU official, as part of the 27-member bloc’s €300 billion ($321.9bn) Global Gateway strategy, the EU is seeking to collaborate with the UAE to hasten the energy transition and infrastructure development in Africa.

Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, said there is significant room for cooperation between the UAE, the second-largest economy in the Arab world, and the EU, the largest trade bloc in the world, particularly in Africa.

Ms Urpilainen met with Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, Minister of State, and Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation while she was on a brief visit to the UAE. In the city, she also visited Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the director-general of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

“What I was presenting today to the ministers, but also to the fund [ADFD] was the idea to work together, especially in Africa, We mainly focused on our partnerships and how to work in Africa together. That’s a priority area for both of us,” Ms Urpilainen said.