The CEPA, signed in Dubai, is part of a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and financial cooperation ties with strategic partners and boosting sustainable development.

Once implemented, this bilateral agreement will reduce or remove unnecessary tariffs and trade barriers, improve market access and create new investment and collaboration platforms for the private sector, based on mutually beneficial partnerships, the Government said in a statement to which VerAngola had access.

On the Angolan side, the Secretary of State for Commerce and Services, Augusta de Carvalho Forte, signed, and on the Emirati side, the Undersecretary for International Trade, Juma Mohammed Al Kait.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, and the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.

The occasion was also witnessed by the Angolan Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Júlio Maiato.

From 2020 to December 2024, trade in goods between Angola and the United Arab Emirates represents a total of 6,382.7 million dollars in exports and 2,684.6 million dollars in imports, corresponding to a positive trade balance of around 3,698.2 million dollars.