Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said on Sunday it had signed a three-year alumina supply agreement with a Vietnamese state-owned firm, its first such deal with Vietnam.

EGA, owned equally by Abu Dhabi and Dubai investment funds, has signed the deal with Vinacomin for supply of 300,000 tonnes of alumina per year, it said in a statement.

The deal is the first long-term agreement to supply Vietnamese alumina to the United Arab Emirates, a move that boosts bilateral trade between the two countries, the statement said.

EGA, which currently imports all the alumina it needs, is building the UAE’s first alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi with plans to produce two million tonnes of alumina annually.

EGA is also building a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa.