H.E. Raja Al Mazrouei, Chief Govt Officer of Etihad Credit score Insurance coverage (ECI), underscored the rising momentum of Emirati traders in search of alternatives throughout African markets, highlighting how ECI is actively enabling this development by way of export credit score insurance coverage, funding ensures, and undertaking finance assist.
H.E. Raja spoke throughout a panel session titled “Capital with Function – Financing Africa’s subsequent chapter”, held as a part of The Africa Debate 2025 in Dubai. The occasion was organized by the Ministry of Overseas Commerce, in collaboration with Make investments Africa; a platform targeted on selling commerce and funding throughout the African continent. H.E. Raja underlined that the UAE and Africa are shaping a brand new period of globalisation pushed by sustainable, diversified, and impact-oriented funding.
The session additionally explored the ‘Capital with Function’ initiative as a strategic evolution in UAE-Africa relations with conventional commerce and capital flows giving technique to a diversified, resilient, and impact-driven funding mannequin. This method not solely unlocks resilient development but in addition enhances world competitiveness and creates a virtuous cycle of funding, job creation, and expertise switch.
ECI’s elementary contribution to this drive was highlighted. Because the UAE’s federal export credit score firm, it performs an important function in de-risking and enabling higher-capital participation by offering credit score ensures, threat mitigation, and associated monetary options. This assist is essential for large-scale tasks that require important upfront capital and long-term commitments, notably in renewable vitality, infrastructure, and digital transformation.
ECI at the moment operates in 30 African international locations, supporting UAE small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they combine into continental provide chains, whereas additionally backing sovereign-led infrastructure tasks. The corporate has already closed offers in key sectors resembling healthcare, hospital development, medical fleets, emergency infrastructure, firefighting, expertise and information, and inexperienced energy- together with photo voltaic and wind tasks. These initiatives are carried out in shut partnership with Export Credit score Businesses (ECAs), Growth Finance Establishments (DFIs), and personal markets to co-create progressive options.
Moreover, distinguished initiatives led by the UAE to advance sustainable improvement within the African continent had been mentioned, with a highlight on the “African Inexperienced Funding Initiative” (AGII). Introduced on the Africa Local weather Summit, held in Nairobi in September 2023, AGII is a multistakeholder partnership that adopts an progressive method to local weather finance, combining the assets, experience, and native information of its companions.
In the direction of the closing of the session, emphasis was positioned on ECI’s function in supporting the UAE’s world clear vitality agenda. Throughout COP28, the UAE pledged USD 4.5 billion to speed up clear vitality tasks throughout Africa. Consistent with this, ECI is offering USD 500 million of credit score insurance coverage to de-risk and unlock non-public capital – additional demonstrating ECI’s dedication in direction of world sustainable improvement.
It’s noteworthy that the discussion board introduced collectively world firms, non-public and public funding our bodies, thought leaders and coverage makers, in a sequence of discussions on strengthening commerce and funding relations between the UAE and the African continent.
The UAE’s internet hosting of this second version comes inside the framework of its rising financial and commerce relations with African international locations, notably as it’s the largest investor in Africa among the many GCC international locations. Dubai hosted the 2024 version of the discussion board, following ten profitable editions held in London.