African Marketplace Dubai 2026 has opened with a push to connect African and Caribbean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international buyers, distributors and commercial opportunities, positioning Dubai as a gateway for businesses seeking to expand beyond their domestic markets.
The three-day exhibition, which runs from October 10 to 12 at Conrad Dubai, brings together businesses showcasing products, services, technology, innovations and creative enterprise. The initiative, founded by Ibukun Awosika, aims to address the barriers that often prevent smaller businesses from accessing international markets.
Speaking at the official opening on Saturday, Awosika said SMEs account for 90 per cent of the Afro-Caribbean productive sector, representing a significant export opportunity that remains underexposed to global buyers.
“Ninety percent of our productive sector sits in the SME space, and that is where the value is. The world just does not know it yet. Our job is to unlock these businesses as an export machine and take them to the global stage,” she said.
Awosika added that some visitors to the inaugural edition questioned whether the products on display were genuinely made in Africa, highlighting the importance of giving international buyers direct access to the businesses behind the products.
“When people see them and hold them, the doubt goes. That is why we are in Dubai,” she said.
Dubai emerges as a route to international markets
The exhibition is built around the opportunity to connect African and Caribbean businesses with buyers and commercial networks beyond their home markets. By bringing exhibitors to Dubai, AMP is seeking to give participating businesses greater visibility and access to potential international customers.
Walid Hareb AlFalahi, founder and chief executive officer of UAE Trade Centre, said the event had improved compared with its inaugural edition in 2025, pointing to growing interest in African products.
“Market entry takes persistence. From last year to this year, I see a major improvement. There is real interest in African products here, and this can grow bigger,” AlFalahi said.
He also called for greater participation from Dubai’s women’s business community and Chamber of Commerce, suggesting that stronger commercial involvement could help expand the platform’s reach.
For SMEs seeking to export, visibility is only one part of the process. Turning international interest into sustainable business requires access to buyers, distribution networks and the commercial relationships needed to enter and serve new markets.
Financial and trade institutions back the initiative
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism is the key strategic partner for the 2026 edition, while the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which supported the inaugural event, returns as a strategic partner and key sponsor.
The Development Bank of Nigeria is participating for the first time and is supporting selected exhibitors to attend. Other supporting organisations include FCMB, Emadeb Energy and Senator Daisy Danjuma.
African Business Heroes, the Jack Ma initiative focused on developing African entrepreneurs, is also represented, with some of its past winners exhibiting at the event.
The opening ceremony was attended by Awosika, AlFalahi, Grace El Mahmoud Marabe, Ghana’s consul general to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, and Janice Costa, project manager and events and partnerships leader at Afreximbank.
From product showcase to export growth
African Marketplace Dubai’s wider ambition is to create stronger connections between businesses from Africa and the Caribbean and international markets. Its second edition builds on the inaugural exhibition held in 2025, with an expanded network of institutional and commercial supporters.
However, the longer-term value of the platform will depend on whether participating businesses can turn exposure into buyer relationships, distribution agreements and repeat orders.
For African SMEs, which often face challenges reaching customers outside their domestic markets, initiatives that bring products directly before international buyers could provide an additional route to export growth.
AMP Dubai 2026 runs until October 12 at Conrad Dubai.