The President Bola Tinubu-led administration has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), granting duty-free access to over 7,000 Nigerian products.
The deal is also expected to increase trade volume by over $3 billion and foster cooperation in investment services between the two countries, while allowing Nigerian businesses to enter the Middle East regional hub market.
The Minister of Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this in a statement late Tuesday, January 13, explaining that the CEPA would attract foreign investments and prioritise market access for goods and services, and also strengthen Nigeria’s push for economic diversification under the Tinubu administration.
Oduwole stated that the deal followed months of technical engagements with UAE counterparts, noting that “Emirates Airlines is also expected to expand footprints in Nigeria as a result of the deal.”
For exporters, Oduwole said the UAE would immediately eliminate tariffs on Nigerian agricultural and industrial products, including fish and seafood, oil seeds, cereals, cotton, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, with more products added over time.”
Speaking on the delivery of the agreement, the minister said, “For Nigerian exporters, the UAE will eliminate tariffs on over 7,000 products. Immediately, our agricultural and industrial products – fish and seafood, oil seeds, cereals, cotton, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and more- will enter the UAE market duty-free.
“Over the next three to five years, the UAE will eliminate tariffs on Nigerian machinery, vehicles, electrical equipment, apparel, and furniture. Nigerian industrial exports now have a clear and competitive pathway into one of the world’s most dynamic trading hubs. In addition, Nigerian businesses can establish operations in the UAE through new corporate entities, branches, and subsidiaries.”
Beyond goods, she said the agreement allowed Nigerian business visitors entry into the UAE for up to 90 days annually, while managers, executives and specialists could relocate under renewable three-year permits.
The minister stated that Nigeria on its part agreed to eliminate tariffs on about 6,000 products, mostly industrial inputs and capital goods, with 60 per cent removed immediately and the rest phased over five years.
“These imports are concentrated in industrial inputs, capital goods, and machinery that will strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity. Nigeria’s Import Prohibition List remains in effect,” she added.
Oduwole said the CEPA expanded Nigeria’s services market access, with commitments covering 99 services across 10 key sectors, while positioning the country as a strategic gateway for global investors targeting Africa’s 1.4-billion-person market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
She added that the agreement aligned fully with Nigeria’s World Trade Organisation (WTO), AfCFTA, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) obligations, while commending her UAE counterpart, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade and the UAE negotiation team for the collaborative effort.
“To the Nigerian private sector: this agreement was negotiated for you. I urge you to identify your opportunities with enhanced market access and move with confidence into the UAE market with the protections we have secured for you,” the minister said.
Some analysts, however, suggested that Nigeria should consolidate its geo-political business investment strategy with the tariff elimination, especially now that there’s a global concern about the United States’ President Donald Trump’s tariff impact among nations.
“This is an opportunity for Nigeria to expand our non-oil trade volume with the UAE, which jumped to $4.3 billion in 2024. It is approximately $3.1 billion in the first nine months of 2025. I’m sure when the NBS releases data for the last quarter of 2025, it will grow further. This is a huge opportunity for non-oil growth and businesses,” a development economist, Kingsley Obiakor, told The ICIR.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment assured that coordinated implementation with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) would ensure that Nigerian businesses swiftly leverage the agreement, as Nigeria deepens its integration into global trade flows.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.