Major GCC players, including the United Arab Emirates have emerged as key investment partners throughout the continent. The United Arab Emirates’s $1bn AI investment commitment is the latest move to advance Africa’s socioeconomic development.

South Africa has managed to overcome an ongoing political spat with Washington, which threatened to undermine Africa’s first-ever G20 Summit. Choppy geopolitical waters can, and must, be overcome in order to advance the continent’s development.

This year’s G20 Summit came not only at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, but at a time when Africa’s appeal to global investors is at an all-time high. South Africa’s hosting is, of course, reputationally significant, but it also demonstrates a growing recognition of Africa’s increasing role on the world stage.

Washington’s absence ultimately proved to be the continent’s gain as foreign investors – including those in the Gulf – competed for multi-sector opportunities as part of their own economic diversification attempts. This would continue a trend of growing and mutually beneficial Africa-Gulf ties and should be welcomed.

Perhaps most significantly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a $1bn initiative to expand its AI expertise across the continent in a bid to help countries meet national development priorities.

This latest development follows a string of heightened Gulf investment. Between 2013 and 2023, GCC investment into Africa almost quadrupled as public and private investors explored growing opportunities in key African markets.

On the G20 sidelines, comments by a senior UAE minister about the investment’s potential transformative impact across sectors, including education and healthcare, hit home with many in attendance. It signified not just intent but a genuine desire to positively transform the continent and leverage its immense potential.

It is clear that Africa is big business in 2025. The continent’s potential has long been known, but for too long, key issues, not limited to corruption, have held it back.

With the African Union a full G20 member, African governments will look to use the Summit as a core forum to explore new collaboration streams, inking new investment pledges as South-South ties are enhanced.

As emerging sectors like AI continue to propel forward, it is incumbent on Africa not to be left behind. It can ill afford to do so, and the continent’s young, tech-savvy population have a key role to play. The AI sector alone is expected to add over $USD 2.9 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030. In order to do this, governments must look to partner with global experts in the field.

In steps the UAE, an active G20 participant and Africa’s largest investor and a global leader in AI and renewable energy. The Gulf nation is already involved with projects throughout the continent and remains committed to furthering these in sectors with which it has global expertise. Its latest AI pledge further reinforces already strong commitments to positive continental development.

The UAE’s leadership of the COP28 Summit in Dubai, which saw a landmark agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, not only demonstrated its ability to act as a bridge between nations during a period of extreme instability but also showcased its own climate expertise.

Of the more than $110bn Abu Dhabi has invested in Africa between 2019 and 2023, more than $70bn has been allocated to green projects. These projects are creating millions of long-term opportunities, including secure jobs and are enabling a swift energy transition, which itself is fuelling wider growth.

It would be prudent for African parties, including the African Union, to continue to leverage such expertise. AI is a prime example of an underinvested sector on the continent, but it is one that, with the right partners, could transform Africa’s future. Africa can still get in on the AI boom, but it cannot wait much longer.

The continent I love remains an enigma and a tale of what could be. Throughout my reporting in Kenya, South Africa and further afield, I time and time again came face-to-face with barriers – often self-inflicted – impeding socioeconomic development.

While the situation has improved in recent years, the tragic reality is that today, Sub-Saharan Africa alone is home to 16 per cent of the global population but 67% of extreme poverty.

Poverty on this scale requires a global, coordinated response which aligns with national growth visions. Of course, governments free from corruption must be the ones to implement needed reforms, but a core component of reversing this trend is also foreign investment.

Fortunately, Africa has at its disposal a youthful, energetic population ready to work with global investors and one which will play a major role in the continent’s modernisation.

As South Africa showed with its hosting, the G20 continues to play a key role in courting those who can advance Africa’s agenda and serve as key long-term allies. Traditional partners, including those from the European Union and Asia, will continue to play a major role, but will have to compete with growing Gulf involvement.

Burdin is the BBC’s former Africa Bureau Chief and World Assignments Editor. He was with the organisation for more than 35 years as a senior editorial leader.