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ABU DHABI (UAE), Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Nigeria–UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with President Bola Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in attendance.
The deal is designed to expand market access for Nigerian exporters, encourage new investment flows, and strengthen Nigeria’s role as a gateway for trade into Africa.
President Tinubu described the agreement as a practical step with direct economic impact. He said it would grant duty-free access for thousands of Nigerian products into the UAE, expand opportunities for exporters and manufacturers, and provide greater certainty for UAE investors looking to back Nigeria’s productive sectors. According to him, the pact supports Nigeria’s industrialisation and diversification agenda while reinforcing its long-term national interest.
The agreement is the outcome of negotiations led by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, and her UAE counterpart, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. Tinubu commended both teams for bringing the talks to a conclusion and expressed optimism that the renewed partnership would deliver lasting benefits for both countries.
For Nigerian exporters, the deal represents a significant opening. Oduwole said the UAE will eliminate tariffs on more than 7,000 Nigerian products, including agricultural and industrial goods such as fish and seafood, oil seeds, cereals, cotton, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Over the next three to five years, tariffs will also be removed on machinery, vehicles, electrical equipment, apparel, and furniture.
She noted that Nigerian industrial exports now have a clearer and more competitive pathway into the UAE market. Beyond goods, the agreement allows Nigerian businesses to establish operations in the UAE through new corporate entities, branches, and subsidiaries.
Business visitors from Nigeria will be able to enter the UAE for up to 90 days within a year to explore trade and investment opportunities, while managers, executives, and specialists can relocate under renewable three-year arrangements.
On investment, the minister said the agreement removes long-standing constraints that have discouraged foreign direct investment. She added that UAE investors now have clearer rules and protections to invest in Nigeria’s productive sectors, supporting industrial growth, improved logistics, and job creation for Nigeria’s youthful population.
Nigeria has also made commitments under the deal. Oduwole said the country will eliminate tariffs on around 6,000 products, with about 60 percent removed immediately and the remainder phased out over five years. These imports are largely industrial inputs, capital goods, and machinery intended to boost domestic productive capacity, while Nigeria’s import prohibition list will remain in force.
In services, Nigeria’s commitments cover 99 specific services across 10 sectors, including business, communications, transportation, financial services, construction, health, and tourism.
The government has pledged swift implementation, with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment working alongside agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to ensure businesses can fully benefit from the agreement.
Oduwole said the deal was negotiated with the Nigerian private sector in mind, urging businesses to seize the new market access and expand confidently into the UAE and beyond. — NNN-AGENCIES