The UAE has signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with the Democratic Republic of Congo as it continues efforts to boost its global non-oil trade.
The Cepa was signed in the presence of President Sheikh Mohamed and Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Abu Dhabi on Monday, state news agency Wam reported.
The agreement is expected to mark a major step forward in economic co-operation between the UAE and the DRC by boosting trade and investment flows, stimulating mutual growth and supporting their shared development goals, Sheikh Mohamed said.
The agreement will reduce tariffs and eliminate trade barriers, “significantly enhancing investment flows” and creating opportunities for private sector collaboration across key sectors including mining, agriculture and clean energy, the report said.
The DRC is a key global producer of cobalt and a major source of essential minerals for the electric vehicle and energy transition sectors.
During the meeting on Monday, the UAE and DRC leaders also witnessed the signing of an initial agreement on investment co-operation in the mining sector, as well as a pact between the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and the Congolese Diplomatic Academy. The two sides also announced co-operation in the field of maritime transport.
The DRC offers a “strategic entry point” for the UAE to expand trade across Central and Eastern Africa, the Wam report said.
Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $2.9 billion in the first nine months of 2025, up more than 16 per cent annually.
The Cepa programme is a key element of the UAE's plans to boost non-oil foreign trade to more than $1.1 trillion by 2031. Cepas are designed to reduce tariffs and remove trade bottlenecks through simpler procedures and rules. They have boosted UAE trade with partner countries since 2022.
The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade surged 26 per cent annually last year to exceed $1 trillion for the first time. Non-oil exports during the year rose 45 per cent to Dh813 billion ($221 billion), Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister, said on Saturday.
“These figures were targets we announced three years ago that we would reach by 2031 … 95 per cent of them have been achieved ahead of schedule by five years,” he said.
The UAE's network of trade partners through the Cepa programme contributed significantly to the record non-oil foreign trade, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said in a statement.
So far, the UAE has concluded 35 Cepas, with countries including India, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Cambodia, Georgia, Costa Rica, Mauritius, Serbia, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kenya, Ukraine, Angola and the Central African Republic.
A total of 14 deals are now fully in effect. The UAE’s non-oil exports to the 14 countries with whom a Cepa is in force reached Dh175.5 billion in 2025, a growth of 18.2 per cent, and contributing 21.6 per cent of total exports last year, Dr Al Zeyoudi said. This week, the UAE also signed a Cepa with Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group said on Tuesday that it has signed heads of terms with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and the country’s National Transport Office to explore the development and operation of a multipurpose terminal in Matadi Port.
The preliminary agreement establishes a collaborative framework to explore the development and operation of the terminal and enhance the port’s operational efficiency and capacity, a statement said.
The move is aimed at supporting the DRC’s growing trade volumes and to facilitate streamlined and efficient import and export flows, it added.
