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UAE and Benin sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

1 min read

Container cranes and stacked shipping containers at a UAE port at sunrise Trade and Logistics
Container cranes and stacked shipping containers at a UAE port at sunrise

Once ratified, the deal will cut or remove customs duties on many goods; non-oil trade between the two countries reached US$1.29 billion in the first half of 2026.

The UAE and Benin signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Abu Dhabi on 25 October 2026, The National reported. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Benin's President Romuald Wadagni witnessed the signing.

The agreement was signed by Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, and Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Benin's Minister of Tourism and Foreign Trade. Once ratified, it will reduce or eliminate customs duties on a wide range of goods, remove trade barriers and improve market access for service providers and investors.

Non-oil trade between the two countries was US$2.15 billion in 2025, up 65% from 2024 and more than double the US$1.01 billion recorded in 2021. In the first half of 2026 it reached US$1.29 billion, 37.4% more than a year earlier.

Sheikh Mohamed said the agreement "marks a significant milestone" and reflects "a common ambition to achieve long-term development aims, create new opportunities for our business communities, strengthen economic resilience, and contribute to prosperity and stability in our regions."

For UAE traders and logistics companies, the CEPA adds another West African market to the UAE's network of trade agreements. The detailed tariff schedules will matter once the agreement is ratified and comes into force.

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