Over the past two decades, Emirati companies have steadily expanded their footprint across East Africa, with a focus on logistics, farmland and critical minerals. Amid East African countries' rapid economic growth, this trend will likely continue as Dubai-based entities look to capitalize on the region's economic potential and to position Dubai as its leading trade interface with the rest of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates' outreach to East Africa has become increasingly driven by geostrategic considerations since the start of the 2010s, with the goal of pushing back against political Islam and shoring up Emirati influence in the Red Sea region.