ABU DHABI (The Thursday Times) — The United Arab Emirates and Mozambique have concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the two governments announced in Abu Dhabi on Saturday during a visit by Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo.
Once signed, ratified, and in force, the agreement will cut customs duties, remove trade barriers, and widen market access for goods and services, while setting a framework for investment. The conclusion of talks was announced by Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Trade, and Basílio Muhate, Mozambique’s Minister of Economy, at a business roundtable attended by Chapo.
Non-oil trade between the two countries reached about $2.6 billion in 2025, up 91.6% on the year before and almost five times the 2019 level, according to UAE figures. It reached $2.5 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 49% on the same period of 2025.
“Concluding CEPA negotiations with Mozambique marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s efforts to expand its network of trade and investment partnerships across the African continent,” Al Zeyoudi said.
Muhate said the deal “marks a new phase in our relations with the UAE” and would help Mozambican producers reach new markets through the Emirates, while encouraging Emirati investment in agro-processing, industry, and infrastructure.
The two sides expect cooperation in energy, logistics, agriculture and food security, mining and critical minerals, and manufacturing. Emirati money is already in Mozambique’s gas sector: XRG, the international investment arm of the state oil company ADNOC, holds a 10% stake in the Area 4 concession in the Rovuma Basin, and DP World has been involved in expanding the Port of Maputo.
Talks with the president
Earlier on Saturday, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received Chapo in Abu Dhabi. The two leaders discussed investment, renewable energy, food security, and agriculture, and the progress of the trade deal, and exchanged memorandums of understanding on energy and tourism.
Sheikh Mohamed described trade and investment partnerships across Africa as a strategic priority for the UAE, and the two discussed the UN Water Conference, which the Emirates hosts in December.
Since launching its CEPA programme in September 2021, the UAE has concluded agreements with economies across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The push to open new markets comes as the Iran war weighs on the Gulf economy: Fitch Ratings expects the UAE’s non-oil economy to shrink by about 1.5% this year (read more).
