Benin and the United Arab Emirates signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, October 25, 2026, aimed at cutting tariffs on a wide range of goods and improving market access for both countries. Presidents Romuald Wadagni and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the ceremony.
According to UAE state news agency WAM, the agreement was exchanged by the UAE’s foreign trade minister, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, and his Beninese counterpart, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari. It also seeks to remove trade barriers and improve access for service providers and investors. The proposed measures will only take effect after the required ratification procedures are completed and the agreement enters into force.
Non-oil trade was already growing
Bilateral non-oil trade reached $2.15 billion in 2025, a 65% increase from 2024, according to figures released by Abu Dhabi. In the first half of 2026, it totalled $1.29 billion, up 37.4% from the same period a year earlier.
Those figures cover two-way trade rather than exports from Benin alone. For businesses, the changes to watch are the tariff conditions and market-access arrangements that will follow the agreement’s entry into force.
Cotton, cashews and equipment in focus
Speaking on the occasion, Benin’s foreign trade minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari highlighted cotton, textiles, cashew nuts, shea products and fruit as goods his country hopes to sell in greater quantities to the UAE. He also pointed to machinery and equipment that Beninese businesses could import.
The two governments also exchanged separate cooperation instruments covering strategic investment, data hosting and the exchange of government expertise. Those commitments extend the economic relationship beyond merchandise trade.