Israel, the United States, and its Gulf allies should work to create an Abraham Accords partnership with Africa, an Israeli entrepreneur and philanthropist said on Monday.
The comments come amid a growing diplomatic push over the last couple of years to strengthen Israeli ties with the continent, fueled by a mix of religious faith and economic benefits.
“Israel has both the capabilities and the experience to become a meaningful partner in Africa’s next chapter,” Haim Taib, founder and president of the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, told the JNS International Policy Conference in Jerusalem. “Its success in overcoming national challenges offers practical solutions to many of Africa’s most pressing needs.”
The 66-year-old has built a business empire in Angola, where he created more than 100 national-scale development projects over the last three-and-a-half decades.
“The Abraham Accords showed what is possible when countries choose cooperation and opportunity over division,” he said, referring to the landmark 2020 agreement between Israel and four Arab nations led by the United Arab Emirates. “The next chapter of that success story can extend beyond the Middle East and into Africa.”
The current war with Iran has only strengthened these ties.
Taib, who launched a private investment platform last year with a target of $1 billion, proposed a strategic framework connecting Israel, the United States, the Abraham Accords nation, and African countries focused on investment and development.
“Israel brings innovation and technology, the United States brings leadership, financing and strategic influence, the Abraham Accords nations bring investment, connectivity and regional reach. Africa brings young talent, resources and scale,” he said. “Together, they can create one of the most important growth and stability platforms of the 21st century.”
