IATF2025: African leaders push for faster growth in intra-African trade

The Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025), Africa’s flagship trade and investment event, opened on Thursday in Algiers with strong calls from African leaders for countries to accelerate intra-African trade, deepen economic integration, and strengthen resilience against global uncertainties.

Declaring the fair open, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune urged African nations to increase trade flows, create more jobs, and reduce reliance on external markets. He emphasized that Africa must close its infrastructure gaps to unlock trade potential.

“Connectivity is the backbone of integration,” Tebboune said, highlighting Algeria’s strategic projects, including the Trans-Saharan Road linking Algiers with neighboring countries, the Algeria Gas Pipeline to boost regional energy security, and optic fiber networks to strengthen digital sovereignty.

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He added that Algeria was also expanding air and maritime links to improve regional connectivity.

The seven-day event, hosted by Algeria in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission, and the AfCFTA Secretariat, is expected to attract thousands of buyers, investors, and over 2,000 exhibitors. Organisers project that trade and investment deals worth more than $44 billion will be concluded during the fair.

Obasanjo: “IATF is Africa’s Trade Engine”

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the IATF2025 Advisory Council, described this year’s participation as the largest since the fair began in 2018, with 48 African countries represented.

“In just eight years, IATF has shown its power to connect buyers, sellers, innovators, investors, and governments across Africa and beyond. It has become the engine of trade expansion and investment flows on the continent,” Obasanjo said.

He cited past successes, including the $2.9 billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project in Tanzania, a mega energy deal concluded at the inaugural IATF in 2018 and executed entirely by African companies.

Since its inception, IATF has hosted over 4,500 exhibitors, attracted more than 70,000 participants from 130 countries, and facilitated trade deals exceeding $118 billion.

AfCFTA at the Heart of Trade Growth

AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene urged leaders to fast-track the implementation of the continental free trade agreement. He noted that intra-African trade rebounded strongly in 2024, reaching $220.3 billion, a 12.4% rise from the previous year.

“This recovery reflects Africa’s growing confidence in its integration model under AfCFTA. While commodities still dominate exports, we are seeing clear growth in machinery, vehicles, food products, chemicals, and electronics. This marks a shift toward industrial diversification that can only be sustained by stronger logistics and manufacturing value chains,” Mene said.

African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi stressed that Africa’s contribution to global trade remains low at 2.9%, with intra-African trade accounting for only 15% of total trade. She emphasized that while Africa’s external trade is dominated by raw commodities, 45% of intra-African trade consists of manufactured goods.

“Our internal trade has the potential to drive industrialization and reduce dependency on external markets. The imbalance we face today is not only due to an unfair global system but also due to choices we made. It is time to change those choices,” Haddadi said.

Afreximbank: Driving Africa’s Economic Independence

Afreximbank President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, described IATF as a platform for Africa’s “new struggle for economic independence.” He said the fair has become a space where African innovators, businesses, and governments forge continental partnerships and unlock critical funding.

“We have built an ecosystem where young Africans can emerge as global changemakers. IATF2025 is a milestone in our journey toward true economic emancipation through regional trade and investment,” Oramah said.

A Packed Programme

This year’s edition features a wide range of thematic days and forums. These include the Global Africa Diaspora Day, Algeria Investment Forum, Arise Industrialisation Day, the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) spotlighting cultural industries, the Africa Automotive Show, and the AU Youth Start-Up platform for emerging entrepreneurs.

The fair will also host the Dangote Pavilion and Dangote Special Day, celebrating African industrial champions.

With leaders, investors, and innovators from Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond in attendance, IATF2025 is set to strengthen the continent’s trade networks, push for industrialisation, and advance the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).