Africa and the Gulf in a Multipolar Economy: Trade, Investment, and Strategic Partnerships

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh explore the evolving economic relationship between Africa and the Gulf in the context of an increasingly multipolar world. They are joined by Aparupa Chakravarti, a strategist working at the intersection of geopolitics, business, development, and social impact across Africa and the Gulf. Drawing on her extensive experience across both regions, Aparupa discusses why Gulf countries have become interesting partners for African states and how their investment approaches differ from those of more traditional external actors. The conversation also examines emerging sectors of cooperation beyond the commonly discussed areas of ports and infrastructure, including renewable energy, technology, artificial intelligence, and the creative economy. A central focus of the episode is African agency, highlighting how African governments and businesses are shaping the terms of engagement with Gulf partners and moving beyond extractive economic models. Lastly, the discussion explores how Africa–Gulf relations are being influenced by broader global shifts towards multipolarity, before turning to the role of people-to-people connections, education, philanthropy, migration, and remittances in sustaining long-term partnerships between the two regions. Looking ahead, Aparupa argues that talent flows and human capital may become one of the defining features of Africa–Gulf relations over the coming decade. About the WASSAP podcast WASSAP: the Africa - West Asia Podcast translates the findings of a three-year research project on West Asian (Gulf)–Sub-Saharan African relations into an accessible, engaging audio format. It explores how economic, political, cultural, religious, and security ties between selected Gulf countries and African partners are evolving and why these shifts matter globally, particularly for Europe. Hosts of the podcast are Desirée Custers (project manager, CARPO) & Hubert Kinkoh (Senior Researcher, CARPO) About the WASSAP project The project explores the multi-dimensional and complex relations between selected Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran) and four Sub-Saharan countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia). It aims to deconstruct and analyze their economic networks, cultural and religious affiliations, and political and security cooperation. Based on empirical research, the project provides a better understanding of Gulf-African exchange, its challenges and opportunities, as well as its implications for Europe. The project is financed by the Robert Bosch Foundation and will run for three years. Guest: - Aparupa Chakravarti, Strategist and emerging markets specialist working across Africa and the Gulf on geopolitics, business development, social impact, and ecosystem building. Shownotes: - April 2026. “The Kids Are Alright: Lessons from Kenya on State-Youth Relations”. TRENDS Research & Advisory. Examination of the importance of successful state-youth engagement for state legitimacy and FDI. https://tinyurl.com/34u2wrn8. Although Kenya-focused, this article points out specific implications for GCC investors - May 2025. Djibouti Sovereign Wealth Fund Forum, Djibouti - Moderated a session on Urban Development and Tourism in Africa. This is a vox interview I did post-session: https://tinyurl.com/2x6xn8ft - Nov 2024. “Opinion: BRICS+ summit seeks more reform than revolution”. The Africa Report. Analysis of emerging markets cross-border economic and political integration in a multipolar context. https://tinyurl.com/mtepck39 - Dec 2023. COP28, Dubai - Trends Research & Advisory Interview - Expert discussion on identifying and navigating market entry opportunities in emerging markets http://tinyurl.com/25fa3w5u. - June 2023. “The Need for Imagination in a Changing Global Order.” New African Magazine. Analysis of evolving geopolitical relations with a focus on the GCC and implications for multinational businesses. https://tinyurl.com/yk3bbkpr. More information on the host: - list text hereDesirée Custers: https://carpo-bonn.org/en/about-us/team/team/desiree-custers - Hubert Kinkoh: https://carpo-bonn.org/en/about-us/team/team/hubert-kinkoh Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Big thanks for the support to our editor Marco Bussi. https://www.marcobussi.de/