Business a.m.
AA&R Investment Group’s group managing director, Abdullahi Bashir Haske, has called for a reset in how Africa engages with Gulf economies, urging policymakers and investors to move beyond incremental cooperation and adopt a more structured, long-term approach to regional integration and financing.
Speaking at the Africa–Gulf Cooperation Dialogue held alongside the Doha Forum in Qatar, Haske argued that Africa’s trade ambitions will remain constrained unless the continent confronts the structural bottlenecks limiting cross-border mobility, investment flows, and the bankability of large-scale projects. His intervention introduced a sharper economic lens to a forum traditionally dominated by infrastructure and diplomatic discussions.
The high-level roundtable, which brought together Gulf policymakers, African ministers, financiers, and corporate leaders, focused heavily on the need for stronger trade corridors, modern ports and integrated logistics systems. But Haske broadened the conversation, warning that logistics upgrades would not deliver their full value if regulatory and financial systems remain fragmented.
Drawing parallels with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), he argued that Africa must pursue deeper harmonisation across central banking policies, visa regimes and trade facilitation to unlock growth at scale. “A unified visa system similar to what exists in the GCC would significantly increase intra-Africa travel and, ultimately, boost trade and investment flows.People flow and capital flow remain fragmented, but with the right reforms, Africa can fully unlock its potential,” he said.
Haske noted that while the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has lowered tariff barriers, non-tariff hurdles (particularly mobility restrictions), continue to undermine the agreement’s potential. According to him, People flow and capital flow remain fragmented, but with the right reforms, Africa can fully unlock its potential.
Beyond integration challenges, Haske drew attention to the financing architecture underpinning Africa–Gulf trade relations. He emphasised that many of the sectors that should anchor Africa’s export competitiveness, such as agribusiness, value-added manufacturing and logistics, require long-term, low-interest capital rather than the short-duration, high-cost financing currently available.
“Africa remains the place to be; full of opportunity, full of risk, and full of returns,but to realise this potential, we must design financing structures that match Africa’s realities, including longer gestation periods for investments; especially in agriculture and strategic value chains,” he stated.
AA&R Investment Group is an emerging conglomerate with a diversified portfolio of investments and operations across multiple sectors of the Nigerian economy. Its portfolio of businesses cuts across agribusiness, oil & gas, marine/maritime, support services & logistics and information technology sectors.
The company has built a strong reputation for conceptualizing, investing in, and managing high-potential business opportunities across key sectors of the economy. As a holding company, AA&R Investment Group oversee a portfolio of businesses that address some of Nigeria’s and Africa’s most critical challenges.
