Nigeria, UAE sign trade deal, liberalise over 7,000 products

Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), marking a major milestone in bilateral economic relations and opening a new chapter in Nigeria’s global trade integration.

The agreement, which was signed in the presence of the Heads of State of both countries, is designed to significantly liberalise trade in goods and services, eliminate tariffs on thousands of products, and expand market access for Nigerian businesses and professionals.

The development was announced yesterday by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment via a post on X. The Nigeria-UAE comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) was signed alongside Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE president.

“For Nigerians, this agreement is not abstract. It opens duty-free access for thousands of Nigerian products into the UAE, expands opportunities for our exporters, manufacturers, and service providers, and gives UAE investors clearer confidence to back Nigeria’s productive economy,” Tinubu said.

The ministry described the agreement as a transformative step that reshapes Nigeria’s trade architecture and strengthens its competitiveness in international trade.

According to details released by the Ministry, Nigeria will liberalise a total of 6,243 products under the agreement. Of this number, tariffs on 3,949 products, representing 63.3 per cent, will be eliminated immediately, while tariffs on a further 2,294 products, or 36.7 per cent, will be phased out over five years.

On the UAE side, tariffs will be immediately removed on 2,805 out of 7,315 products, accounting for 38.3 per cent of covered goods. Commenting on the development, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment said the agreement sends a strong signal to global investors and trading partners.