African Marketplace (AMP) Dubai 2026 opened at Conrad Dubai with a compelling message to global buyers: the small businesses driving 90 percent of the Afro-Caribbean productive sector represent a vast, largely untapped export opportunity.
Founded by Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, AMP is designed to bridge this gap by connecting African and Caribbean entrepreneurs with international buyers, strategic partners and the wider Dubai business community. Running from 10 to 12 October 2026, the three-day exhibition provides a global platform to showcase the region’s products, services, technology and innovations, and creative enterprise, opening doors to new markets and commercial opportunities.
Mrs. Ibukun Awosika was joined by Walid Hareb AlFalahi, Founder/CEO, UAE Trade Centre; Grace El Mahmoud Marabe, Consul General of Ghana to Dubai; and Janice Costa, Project Manager and Events/Partnerships Leader at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), to cut the ribbon and declare the exhibition open.
H.E. Walid Hareb AlFalahi, Founder/CEO, UAE Trade Centre and the Consul General of Ghana to Dubai, Grace El Mahmoud Marabe cut the ribbon to declare the exhibition open.
“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. Last year, visitors asked us if these products were really made in Africa. They are. When people see them and hold them, the doubt goes. That is why we are in Dubai,” said Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Founder, African Marketplace and Ibukun Awosika Leadership Academy (IALA).
H.E. Walid said Dubai’s interest in African products is real and that this year’s event is a clear step up from last year’s.
“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,” he said.
He also called for more involvement from the women’s community and the Chamber of Commerce in Dubai.
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) is the key strategic partner of African Marketplace Dubai 2026. Afreximbank, which has worked with the organisers since the inaugural edition held last year, is a strategic partner and key sponsor. Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), a partner for the first time this year, is supporting selected exhibitors to take part, alongside FCMB, Emadeb Energy, and Sen. Daisy Danjuma. African Business Heroes, a Jack Ma initiative that has invested in developing African entrepreneurs for seven years, is also represented, with some of its past winners exhibiting.
African Marketplace Dubai 2026 takes place from 10 to 12 October at the Conrad Hotel Dubai.
