The United Arab Emirates is preparing to conclude a landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Chad by the end of 2025. This milestone agreement follows a year of strong momentum in bilateral trade, with non-oil trade rising 32 percent to reach 1.9 billion dollars. The partnership aligns directly with Chad’s new national development program, Chad Connection 2030, which aims to mobilize 30 billion dollars in public and private investments across priority sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, mining, energy, agribusiness, and logistics.
The UAE’s CEPA strategy is reshaping global trade routes and building long-term economic corridors across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Chad is emerging as a key partner in Central Africa’s growth arc. With a young population, untapped natural resources, and rising demand for infrastructure, the country offers significant opportunities for UAE investors and enterprises seeking early entry into frontier markets.
At the UAE Chad Trade and Investment Forum in Abu Dhabi, both sides signed 39 agreements totaling more than 6.2 billion dollars. These agreements demonstrate broad sectoral cooperation and signal Chad’s intent to partner with the UAE as a strategic investor for nation building.
The CEPA will streamline customs procedures, reduce tariffs, and introduce new investment protections that give UAE companies unprecedented access to one of Central Africa’s most promising emerging markets. It also enhances export pathways for Chad, allowing its products to enter the UAE’s re export network and reach global markets more efficiently.
Chad Connection 2030 sets a national roadmap for economic transformation focused on infrastructure, energy transition, digitalization, and food security. The UAE’s participation through CEPA creates opportunities for public private partnerships, sovereign investment channels, and long term development financing.
The Chad agreement is one part of a broader UAE agenda that seeks to strengthen trade bonds across Africa and diversify the national economy. The UAE is currently advancing CEPA negotiations with Nigeria and Rwanda and is preparing to begin talks with Ghana and South Africa. These agreements reflect the UAE’s goal of expanding its global trade value to one trillion dollars by 2031.
The UAE’s upcoming CEPA with Chad is more than a trade agreement. It is a long term strategic partnership that combines investment, infrastructure development, and economic integration. For UAE businesses and investors, the agreement opens the door to one of Africa’s most promising growth markets. For Chad, it provides the capital, expertise, and global connectivity needed to accelerate national development. This is a pivotal moment where opportunity, policy, and ambition converge to shape a new economic chapter for both nations.
