Fujairah to Welcome the African Group of Ambassadors
Twenty-six ambassadors. One train. Two days on the UAE’s eastern shore.
A train will soon leave Abu Dhabi on a journey with no precedent. On board will be ambassadors from twenty-six African nations, travelling together across the Emirates to Fujairah for the first edition of The UAE Africa Experience, on 25 and 26 November 2026.
Leading the delegation are H.E. Ambassador Rashid Sesay of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors in the UAE, and H.E. Ambassador Zaake Wanume Kibedi of the Republic of Uganda, Vice Dean. The visit is organised in coordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why Fujairah, why now
The UAE Africa Experience has a simple idea: take Africa’s ambassadors beyond the capital and into the Emirates themselves, one at a time. Fujairah goes first, and for good reason. It is the only emirate set entirely on the Gulf of Oman, looking out over the Indian Ocean towards Africa. Its economy reached about AED 32.6 billion in 2025, powered by 277 factories, and its hotels were almost fully booked in early 2026.
The visit has three aims:
1. Connect African missions directly with Fujairah’s leaders in business and government.
2. See the Emirate’s strengths at first hand.
3. Follow up with practical, lasting cooperation.
Coast to coast by Etihad Rail
The journey is part of the message. Since 30 June 2026, Etihad Rail has linked Abu Dhabi and Fujairah in about 105 minutes, at speeds of up to 200 km/h. The ambassadors will cross golden desert, climb into the Hajar Mountains and pass over the Al Bithnah Bridge, the highest structure on the network.
Many African countries are building railways of their own to connect ports, mines and cities. In under two hours, Etihad Rail shows what such a line can do for a nation.
Five sides of Fujairah
Over two days, the ambassadors will meet Fujairah’s business leaders and visit the places that drive the Emirate’s growth.
Sector What they will see Why it matters to Africa
Ports and logistics Port of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering ports, and Fujairah Free Zone Coastal nations seeking shipping and trade partners
Energy Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, with about 18 million cubic metres of storage Producers looking for routes to global markets
Mining Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation and a quarry in the Hajar Mountains A continent rich in minerals, building its own industries
Food and nature Rumailah Farm, and Wadi Wurayah National Park, home to 1,099 recorded species Vast farmland and the ambition to feed a growing population
Heritage Fujairah Fort, around 500 years old; Al Bidya Mosque, the UAE’s oldest at around 700 years; and Al Hail Fort Cultures and landscapes that draw travellers from around the world
Did you know? The waterfall at Wadi Wurayah may have been flowing, without stopping, for 10,000 years.
Twenty-six nations, one continent
The delegation spans all five regions of the African Union:
Region Nations
West Africa Sierra Leone, Liberia, Niger, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo
Southern Africa Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Eswatini, Angola, South Africa
East Africa Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles
Central Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Gabon
North Africa Mauritania, Egypt
A partnership with national purpose
The UAE and Africa are already close partners. In 2024, the UAE’s non-oil trade with Africa reached about US$112 billion, up 34% in a single year, and UAE investment across the continent has passed US$110 billion since 2019. Several of the visiting nations, including Kenya, Angola, Sierra Leone, Gabon and DR Congo, have economic partnership agreements with the UAE.
The visit serves the country’s long-term goals:
National goal The visit’s contribution
We the UAE 2031, growing non-oil trade towards AED 4 trillion New trade channels between 26 African markets and the UAE’s east coast
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements Partner countries see the assets behind their agreements
National Food Security Strategy 2051 Shared expertise between an arid land and a fertile continent
Tourism and national rail 26 governments experience Etihad Rail and Fujairah first-hand
Where the monsoon winds once sailed
Long before railways and airports, the monsoon winds carried wooden dhows from the Arabian coast to East Africa and back. Sailors from these shores traded with Zanzibar, Mombasa and beyond, carrying dates, cloth and timber, and bringing home stories, families and friendships that still echo in language, food and music on both sides of the ocean.
This November, that old route takes a new form. A train crosses the Emirates, and Africa’s ambassadors step out where the dhows once set sail, to open the next chapter in a relationship the sea began.
Fujairah has always faced Africa. Now it welcomes Africa to its shores.
John Paul Kalire, Esq., Fujairah Liaison
