President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to participate in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), including other discussions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ramaphosa arrived in the UAE on Monday morning at the invitation of the UAE President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Ministers
The president, together with four Cabinet members: Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi. will attend the summit for two days.
The ADSW 2026, held under the theme “Nexus of Next: All Systems Go”, brings together the global sustainability community to ignite impactful dialogues and bold ideas aimed at fostering cross-sector collaboration and delivering breakthrough solutions to advance sustainable development worldwide.
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Panel discussion
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president will attend the opening ceremony and the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, which celebrates 11 winners driving real-world impact across the categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools.
“The president will also participate in the Heads of State Panel discussion on the topic: ‘A vision for Global Energy’. In addition, he will participate in a high-level session titled: ‘Next Leap: Global South Infrastructure’, which will focus on accelerating bankable, scalable infrastructure investment across the Global South.
“South Africa maintains cordial bilateral relations with the UAE, characterised by regular high-level visits as well as robust economic cooperation, for the mutual benefit of both countries.
“The UAE is also a major investor in the South African economy across various sectors, including transport, logistics, and renewable energy,” Magwenya said.
Exports
Magwenya said that South Africa’s exports to the UAE last year totalled almost $2.7 billion (R44.3 billion).
“Imports from the UAE amounted to $2.96 billion (R48.6 billion), representing a decline of 25,8% over the same period. As a result, South Africa recorded a trade deficit of $284 million (R4.7 billion) in 2004.”
Magwenya said during his visit, Ramaphosa will also engage with “leading captains of the industry” and business leaders to promote investment and strengthen collaboration.
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