While venture capital funding is struggling to recover in many global regions, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s VC industry posted record highs for 2025. (MENA is home to 6.3% of the global population but holds just 1.4% of global freshwater, for example.) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) aims to rank among the top countries in the Global Food Security Index by 2051 through its National Food Security Strategy 2051 . It is already the second-largest global player for AI infrastructure, with over 188,000 chips and 6.4 gigawatts of power capacity. This share of GDP is on par with global levels, though lower than the industry’s 13% contribution to regional GDP.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 27, 2026 13:19 UTC