Riyadh aims to expand its African diplomatic network

The advisor to the Saudi royal court, Ambassador Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Kattan, is finalizing the list of countries where the kingdom is set to open a diplomatic representation in 2024.

The Africa-Saudi Arabia summit, held on November 10 in Riyadh, confirmed the kingdom's desire to increase its presence to 40 diplomatic missions on the continent, up from the current 27.

According to Africa Intelligence, a significant portion of these future openings will occur in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) zone, a region underrepresented in the Saudi diplomatic network, which has been more focused on West Africa, the Maghreb, and the Horn.

While some new locations are already known – for example, Kattan announced in May during a visit to Eswatini that Mbabane would soon have a Saudi ambassador – others will be announced rapidly.

Zimbabwe and Malawi are said to be the first destinations to be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is already searching for buildings or land to establish missions in Harare and Lilongwe.

Nearly two years after the opening of its embassy in Riyadh, Angola is also hopeful that Saudi Arabia will soon establish representation in Luanda.

The Angolan ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the experienced former minister Frederico Cardoso, was pleased at the November 10 summit with the validation of around $110 million for the Catumbela industrial project.

This project had already received approval during Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Kattan's visit to Luanda in August.