DRC Signs $10B Trade Deal with UAE, Port & Mining Focus

The Democratic Republic of Congo has taken a decisive step in reshaping its global economic posture, signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates that aims to double bilateral investment flows to $10 billion by 2030 and grant preferential access to nearly 6,000 Congolese products.

The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi in February 2026 by President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, marking one of the most ambitious trade and investment deals in Congo’s modern history.

What the CEPA Covers: Trade, Mining, Infrastructure

According to Congolese media, including Infos 27, the CEPA establishes a structured framework for cooperation across trade, mining, infrastructure, and logistics. Central to the deal is the deep-water port of Banana, a flagship infrastructure project intended to transform Congo’s access to global maritime trade and reduce reliance on regional transit routes.

Investment Goals: $10 Billion by 2030

The agreement is accompanied by several memoranda of understanding covering:

• preferential trade access for thousands of Congolese products,

• investment in mining and mineral processing,

• logistics and transport infrastructure,

• diplomatic and technical cooperation.

Kinshasa currently estimates that Emirati investment flows could rise from $5 billion to $10 billion by 2030 if the agreement is fully implemented.

Why the Banana Deep-Water Port Matters

The inclusion of the Banana deep-water port elevates the agreement beyond trade facilitation. Long viewed as a strategic bottleneck for Congo’s economy, the port is expected to reposition the DRC as a regional production and transit hub, lowering import costs, improving export competitiveness, and anchoring downstream industrial projects.

Analysts see the port as a cornerstone for linking Congo’s mining and agricultural output directly to global markets — a structural shift in how the country integrates into international trade.

Mining and Value Addition at the Core

According to Le Potentiel, mining cooperation sits at the heart of the partnership. The DRC’s vast reserves of copper, cobalt, and gold are expected to attract Emirati capital not only for extraction, but increasingly for processing and value addition.

Officials say this aligns with Kinshasa’s broader strategy of converting natural resources into industrial growth, infrastructure development, and improved operating conditions across the economy.

President Tshisekedi, quoted by Congolese outlets, described the partnership as opening “new avenues for economic cooperation and sustainable development,” rooted in mutual benefit rather than dependency.

A New Chapter in DRC’s International Trade Diplomacy

The Ministry of Foreign Trade, cited by La Référence Plus, framed the agreement as part of Congo’s sovereign policy of diversifying economic partners and promoting a “win-win” cooperation model. Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya was part of the official delegation in Abu Dhabi, underlining the deal’s commercial and strategic weight.

AfricaNews notes that the UAE has signed similar comprehensive agreements with countries such as India, South Korea, and Australia — placing the DRC within a select group of strategic partners in the Emirates’ global trade network.

A Structural Shift for Congo’s Global Position

Headlined by Infos 27 as a move that allows the DRC to “change scale,” the agreement signals a clear shift from fragmented bilateral deals toward long-term economic alignment with major global investors.

If implemented as planned, the CEPA could reshape Congo’s trade architecture, strengthen infrastructure financing, and reposition the country as a central economic gateway in Central Africa — a role Kinshasa has long sought but rarely achieved.

For now, the agreement stands as one of the clearest expressions yet of Congo’s economic offensive: diversifying alliances, securing strategic infrastructure, and translating mineral wealth into sustained growth.