The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on Feb. 2 in Abu Dhabi, alongside three memorandums of understanding.
The signing ceremony was attended by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Congolese officials said the agreement aims to boost investment in key sectors and deepen economic cooperation. Through the partnership, Kinshasa and Abu Dhabi hope to double bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2030, up from $5 billion.
The target reflects strong growth in recent years. Data from the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Trade show trade between the two countries rose from $1.2 billion in 2020 to $4.5 billion in 2024.
The Congolese presidency said the CEPA will open the Emirati market to around 6,000 Congolese products, cut customs duties for Congolese businesses, secure commercial transactions and strengthen efforts to combat smuggling.
A free trade agreement had been under discussion for several months and appears to have been incorporated into the CEPA. Both sides also plan to establish joint monitoring committees to oversee implementation.
Memorandums of understanding
The signing was followed by three memorandums of understanding.
The first, signed with the National Transport Office (ONATRA), concerns the Banana deep-water port project in Moanda, in Kongo Central province. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The port, currently under construction, is already being developed in partnership with Emirati logistics group DP World. It is intended to provide the DRC with a strategic maritime hub. The facility is expected to include a 600-metre quay, a 30-hectare storage area and capacity for around 450,000 containers, enabling large vessels to dock directly.
The second memorandum focuses on mining. It aims to strengthen cooperation on the traceability and security of critical mineral supply chains, supported by coordinated investments.
The third agreement covers diplomatic cooperation. It provides for closer exchanges between the DRC Diplomatic Academy and the UAE’s Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, including knowledge-sharing, joint training and research programmes, and the organisation of joint events.
The new framework builds on growing commercial ties between the two countries. In 2023, the DRC and the UAE signed a partnership aimed at ensuring a more transparent and responsible trade in Congolese gold.
That agreement led to the creation of Primera Gold DRC SA, later renamed DRC Gold Trading, which is tasked with collecting and exporting artisanal gold.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade said the company exported around five tonnes of gold in 2023, more than the DRC had officially recorded over the previous 15 years combined. Exports in 2024 are estimated at between seven and nine tonnes, according to the same source.
Ronsard Luabeya
