Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that will eliminate tariffs on more than 13,500 products, a move expected to boost non-oil exports, attract foreign investment, and create jobs.
The deal was concluded after negotiations led by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, and witnessed by President Bola Tinubu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The agreement which was signed on Tuesday, will expand opportunities for Nigerian exporters, manufacturers, and service providers, while providing UAE investors with greater confidence to invest in Nigeria’s productive sectors.
Under the agreement, Nigeria will remove tariffs on 6,243 products imported from the UAE, with 3,949 products enjoying immediate duty-free access and the remaining 2,294 phased out over five years.
Meanwhile, the UAE will eliminate tariffs on 7,315 Nigerian products, with 2,805 products immediately duty-free, 1,468 phased out over three years, and 3,042 phased over five years. Sensitive products, 123 in Nigeria and 593 in the UAE, are excluded.
Key Nigerian exports benefiting from immediate duty-free access include fish, seafood, cereals, oilseeds, fruits, nuts, live animals, meat, leather, cotton, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and paper products.
Other goods such as cocoa, coffee, spices, petroleum products, machinery, vehicles, apparel, furniture, and cosmetics will see phased tariff removal over three to five years.
The CEPA also covers services, with Nigeria committing 99 services across 10 sectors and the UAE 108 services across 11 sectors.
Nigerian businesses can establish subsidiaries, branches, and representative offices in the UAE, while business visitors may stay up to 90 days and intra-corporate transferees for renewable three-year terms.
According to the ministry, the agreement directly addresses long-standing impediments to UAE investment into Nigeria and positions the country as a preferred destination for international investors seeking access to the ECOWAS sub-region and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market.
The CEPA includes Rules of Origin to ensure tariff preferences apply only to goods genuinely produced in Nigeria or the UAE, enhancing trade integrity and investor confidence. It is aligned with Nigeria’s obligations under WTO, AfCFTA, and ECOWAS frameworks, and does not affect Nigeria’s AfCFTA schedules.
Following the signing, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, alongside the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, and Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, will begin coordinated implementation to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries.
