IATF Kicks-Off in Algiers With $44 Billion Trade Deals

By Staff Reporter

THE Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 opened on Friday September 5,  in Algiers, Algeria, where African leaders, businesses, and innovators gathered to explore trade and investment opportunities worth $44 billion, seeking to accelerate integration through AfCFTA-driven cooperation and shared economic growth.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune urged African countries to scale up trade flows and strengthen infrastructure links to shield economies from global disruptions.

He highlighted Algeria’s key regional projects, including the Trans-Sahara Road, a new gas pipeline, expanded maritime routes, and optic fibre networks to boost connectivity and digital sovereignty.

Hosted by Algeria and co-convened by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission, and the AfCFTA Secretariat, IATF2025 is expected to facilitate trade and investment deals worth more than US$44 billion. The seven-day event has attracted over 2,000 exhibitors and thousands of buyers and visitors, with 48 African countries participating—marking the fair’s largest showing since its inception in 2018.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF2025 Advisory Council, described the fair as “the engine accelerating trade expansion and investment flows.”

He cited past successes such as the $2.9 billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, one of the largest intra-African EPC deals concluded at the 2018 Cairo fair.

AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene urged leaders to fast-track the trade pact’s implementation, noting that intra-African trade rebounded to $220.3 billion in 2024, up 12.4% from the previous year. He pointed to a gradual diversification of African exports toward higher-value products such as machinery, vehicles, and electronics.

AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi emphasized that while intra-African trade has grown by 27% since 2017, it still represents only 15% of the continent’s total trade. “Our internal trade can be a powerful agent for industrialisation,” she said, stressing the need to prioritize African markets.

Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah called the fair a “formidable platform for Africa’s economic independence,” underscoring its role in shaping new industries, empowering youth, and unlocking funding opportunities.

In conclusion, the fair’s programme features landmark sessions including Global Africa Diaspora Day, the Algeria Investment Forum, Arise Industrialisation Day, Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), and the Africa Automotive Show. Cultural showcases, youth start-up platforms, and diaspora linkages are also part of the agenda aimed at advancing Africa’s integration and transformation.

IATF2025 runs throughout the week in Algiers, reaffirming the continent’s commitment to driving trade from within and reshaping Africa’s role in the global economy.

END..