The UAE and Angola have formalized a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), witnessed by both heads of state, to deepen two-way trade and investment across goods, services, and priority sectors. The accord comes amid rising commercial flows: non-oil trade between the two countries reached about $1.4 billion in the first half of 2025, building on $2.17 billion in 2024. The agreement is designed to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, streamline customs procedures, and promote cooperation in areas such as logistics, energy, agribusiness, and technology—leveraging the UAE’s global trade hub infrastructure and Angola’s resource base and Atlantic connectivity.
For businesses, the CEPA signals a clearer, more predictable market-access framework and an expanded pipeline of opportunities around supply-chain partnerships and industrial inputs. For policymakers, it underscores the role of targeted bilateral deals in accelerating non-oil diversification while strengthening the Gulf–Africa corridor. The signature also fits within a broader UAE strategy to scale non-oil trade through a series of CEPAs with key partners, adding momentum to outward investment, project development, and re-export activity centered in the UAE. As implementing regulations follow, companies may wish to map tariff schedules, rules of origin, and priority sector commitments to assess near-term gains and medium-term expansion options.
