African businesses and states are expected to close in trade and investment deals estimated at more than $44 billion during the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025, Afreximbank announced on September 6. The once in two years trade fair is expected to bring together over 2,000 exhibitors including businesses from Africa and globally to showcase their goods and services while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. ALSO READ: Rwanda to host continental facility to boost intra-African trade According to Afreximbank, the last three fairs have generated combined trade and investment deals worth at least $120 billion. This represents African businesses that found new markets across Africa, industries that found new sources of raw materials, investment, and capital goods, government-to-government deals in critical sectors such as agriculture and agro-processing, and African contractors who won major government projects. The fourth fair themed ‘Gateway to New Opportunities’, slated for September 4 to 10 next year in Algeria, is expected to garner $44 billion in trade and investment across various industries and projects for African countries’ development. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria and Chairman of the Advisory Council of IATF, said the platform has been an instrument for promoting intra-African trade and investment by enabling businesses to interact and access trade and market information opportunities. “IATF is the largest, holistic trade fair championing the continent’s growth and development. It serves as a collaborative platform for driving shared aspirations for prosperity and stability, as envisioned by AfCFTA.” ALSO READ: EAC takes over 25% of investment attracted at Africa Investment Forum He added that it is a strong backbone for meaningful transformation of Africa and enhancing resilience by creating a gateway to new opportunities for economies and businesses through intra-African trade and investment. The trade and investment platform is envisioned to leverage the opportunities from the single market of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) of more than 1.4 billion people with a GDP of over US$3.5 trillion. ALSO READ: Kagame, Dangote discuss investment, intra-Africa trade Key activities lined up for IATF2025 include a trade exhibition by countries and businesses; the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme with a dedicated exhibition and summit covering fashion, music, film, arts and craft, sports, literature, gastronomy, and culinary arts. It will also include a four-day Trade and Investment Forum featuring leading African and international speakers, the Africa Automotive Show for auto manufacturers, assemblers, original equipment manufacturers, and component suppliers, and a business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) platform for matchmaking and business exchanges, among others.
